Ink & Chocolate
by Eternal-Explosionist
Summary: Not being of any royal status, Irene was especially well-gifted in the art of fading into the background and being ignored. When the villains arrive at the school, she finds herself being dragged into the spotlight and she refused to be scared of the new students, even when she had every reason to be.With a smile like that, she knew he was more sweet than evil.Sweet like chocolate.
1. Chapter 1

Warning: Movie spoilers!

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 **Ink & Chocolate**

 **Chapter One**

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"I can't believe they're letting those villains into our school! Ben's too kind—I mean, Maleficent is the one who cursed my mother! How could they let _her_ daughter attend, of all the villains to choose from?!"

The particularly shrill voice belonged to Princess Audrey, daughter of Princess Aurora and Prince Philip, and girlfriend to soon-to-be-King Prince Ben. She was a girl connected to many titles and was currently laying on her four poster bed, complaining about the injustice for the fifth time that day. To total the amount of times she had recited the same spiel since the proclamation was innumerable, mostly because the other girl had lost count.

She didn't even bother to make up a response to humor the princess, too busy trying to scrawl some last minute notes on the empty bars of her paper. Glancing back at the clock, her handwriting became more frantic as she tried to finish the thought before she absolutely had to leave. She really shouldn't be late. Again.

The grandfather clock chimed and she huffed, throwing her pen aside as she grabbed her sweater as she hurried, ignoring her inked fingertips. There wasn't any time to worry about her appearance. Of course there was always time for personal appearance in Audrey's opinion, one she had no problem reminding her roommate. Ignoring the princess's indignant huff at her abrupt departure, the door closed behind her as she took off.

Irene Radcliffe wasn't a lot of things, punctual being the first. She had a terrible habit of trying to get more done than she had time for and would be distracted easily by her own projects, adding to her lateness. Secondly, she wasn't any form of royalty.

It was bizarre stroke of chance that she was assigned to be Audrey's roommate as royals tended to be paired with other royals. It wasn't as if it was completely odd that she wasn't tied to any royal family, as her good friend Doug wasn't royal by blood either, with him being the son of Dopey. Though that did put him close to Snow White's royalty line due to friendships between the adults, which could be counted, she supposed.

"You're late."

Speaking of her favorite classmate, the boy had just arrived at the bottom of the staircase with the clear goal of retrieving her. She gave a guilty smile.

"Close enough though, right?" she tried. "We still have a little while before they're due to arrive, don't we?" She checked the slightly oversized watch, not that the accessory did her much good in the long run. It only served to remind her that she was late for something.

"Yes, technically we do," he sighed, adjusting his glasses. "You know what they say though, "Early is on time"—"

"And on time is late," she finished with a sigh. "So I've heard. Is everyone else on time then?"

Clearly, everyone was assembled in a timely manner as Irene had to be the only student at Auradon Prep (where "Goodness doesn't get any better") who was notoriously tardy. She and Doug hurried out to the front courtyard to coordinate the school band and make sure everything was all set so to welcome the new students. The uniforms had to be pristine, buttons shined and nothing wrinkled. The band members had to make certain that their formations were perfect, warm up their instruments, and give their nerves time to settle enough to display a professional appearance for the newcomers.

It wasn't surprising that everyone was reacting strongly to Prince Ben's first official proclamation. He was welcoming the children of the villains that had hurt so many in their kingdoms, those who were royal in status especially. She didn't blame Audrey for being apprehensive about Maleficent's daughter attending the same school as her, but the whining was becoming a bit much, even if it was a coping mechanism. While everyone seemed to be dreading their arrival, Irene couldn't help but be a little excited even if she technically had a reason to be worried as well. She couldn't wait for the change of pace and what perspective they would bring to the slightly suffocating school. Although she didn't voice that specific opinion to anyone but Doug. It wouldn't do her any good to rile up anyone, even if it was by accident.

With their formations perfected, uniforms crisp, and instruments tuned, the Headmistress, the Fairy Godmother herself, approached them with Prince Ben and Princess Audrey a step behind her.

"Everything ready?" asked the fairy. "I've just received word that they'll be here momentarily."

"Yes, Headmistress," she and Doug chorused.

"Very good, dears. Excellent work," she praised as she moved around to double check the preparations. Prince Ben gave an appreciative nod and smile to the two while Audrey gave a sniff as she looked at her roommate.

"You've got spots all over your sweater," she tutted under her breath, just barely soft enough to be heard. Irene's cheeks burned as she quickly found the small black spots near the collar of her sweater where she had grabbed it as she rushed from the dorms. Her fingertips were still dark with dried ink as she tucked a stray hair aside. She kept her mouth shut as Audrey smirked, not even losing her pace as she walked with her boyfriend, following the headmistress.

There were students lining the path up to the castle holding up signs and banners, so to be the first to spot the limo (and maybe catch a glimpse of the villain's children), and their welcoming cheers were faint but all the cue they needed. Irene brought her hands up and the musicians took their positions and with the flick of her wrist the first strong notes of the welcome song rang out.

The sleek black limo easily made its way up the well-manicured path and came to a smooth and complete stop before the gold-and-blue band, giving her barely enough time to step to the side, maintain her conducting while simultaneously being out of the picture, not wanting to ruin the picturesque vision. Then a gentleman in a perfect grey suit stepped out of the vehicle and calmly walked to the other door and opened it for their visitors.

Immediately, two boys toppled out of the limo in a tangle of limbs, random items that included a televsion screen under one arm and an odd blue blanket between them and protesting. The band couldn't help but awkwardly falter at the strange sight and Irene was staring openly as well, very confused. It was brutally obvious who was winning the scuffle, but the boy with the odd white hair was still squirming like he had a chance.

"Ow-stop-! You got everything else-! Why do you want whatever this is-?!"

"'Cause you want it!"

"Ow!"

"Give it to me!"

"Ow!"

"Let go!"

It took her a second to realize that two girls had slipped out of the limo quietly and were looking around in their new environment. The boy's didn't seem to care and continued with their antics.

"Guys, guys, guys!" hissed the girl in purple, earning their attention. "We have an audience!" That seemed to snap the two out of it, turning their heads as if they just only noticed the bright blue-and-gold band. There was the familiar clip-clop of heels and the band broke their formation evenly to allow the headmistress to approach the new students.

"Just-cleanin' up," explained the taller one in the vest. He grabbed the other boy and yanked him to his feet with a whispered, "Get up!"

When they were all standing, Irene couldn't but noticed just how vibrant they all were. Their outfits were nearly blinding with color and personalization, and not to mention their hair colors were so vivid. Deep blues, screaming violet, and strange white. It was like a breath of fresh air.

She had been so busy staring that she completely missed Fairy Godmother's introduction and was snapped out of her daze when Audrey interjected into the conversation.

"- _Prince_ Benjamin. Soon to be King!" she corrected, barely able to keep her swoon under control at the mention of his upcoming title.

"You had me at Prince," spoke up the gorgeous girl in blue, her voice nearly breathless. "My mom's a Queen which makes me a princess." She finished her title introduction with an absolutely perfect curtsy.

"The Evil Queen has no royal status here and neither do you," Audrey quickly reprimanded her, all while keeping her smile and pleasant tone. Irene's mouth formed a firm line at her roommate's unnecessary jab.

"This is Audrey," Ben introduced quickly.

" _Princess_ Audrey," she clarified, correcting even the almost-King before taking his hand. "His girlfriend. Right Benny-boo?"

It took all of her willpower not to roll her eyes at the disgusting pet name Audrey gave to the son of Belle and the Beast. Ben was one of the kindest people she knew, and she was thrilled for his coronation, but what he saw in Audrey she would never understand. She was roommates with the girl and she still didn't know.

The Fairy Godmother had given her last words, including her usual joke about how she "has a thing with curfews". Cue Cinderella humor. It was practically mandatory to laugh or least smile at the headmistress's puns. Wouldn't want to get turned into a pumpkin. As the iconic Godmother walked away, the band members started to follow with Doug in the lead, which meant that Irene was to bring up the rear to make sure that no one straggled, forgot or dropped any equipment.

She had just finished the head count and gave a quick survey of the immediate area, to make certain it was clear, when she barely began to turn away to follow the others-her name was called.

"Irene!"

The girl whipped around at the sudden call, very confused. Prince Ben waved her back over toward the group and she obliged, not one to argue or disobey the son of the King. It helped that he was very kind, even to her. The four villains were watching her too and she did her best not to stare back as well, her own interest in them still overwhelming. Her gaze kept lingering on the white haired boy and that his mouth seemed to be smeared with chocolate and that he was completely oblivious to the fact.

"Why don't you join the tour with us?" he offered. He ignored Audrey's pointed look, continuing to smile at the ginger haired girl.

"Me?"

"Her?" asked Audrey.

"Audrey and I won't be able to stay for a complete tour and I was wondering if you would care to pick up where we leave off? If you don't mind, that is," he explained. He looked to the four. "No one else knows the grounds as well as Irene. She'll make sure none of you get lost here."

Her? Prince Ben wanted to leave the villain's children with _her_? She wasn't royalty and she certainly didn't command attention or give off the air of authority. She was a musician and tended to be looked over.

"Of course," her voice betrayed her. How was she to say no? It wasn't as if she was scared of them, it was just…out of her comfort zone, so to say. She wasn't a leader type, she was a background piece. Audrey could confirm that for her.

"Excellent!" Ben smiled. Audrey linked her arm with his once again as he turned and began to lead the way up the path, launching into the history of the castle and Auradon Prep. She barely heard him as she took a deep breath, steeling her determination. She was not going to be intimidated by their villainous parentage. She refused.

With one hand she slipped her hand into her pocket while her other reached out and tapped the white haired boy's shoulder. He flinched terribly and whirled around to look at her with wide brown eyes. She held out a simply embroidered handkerchief and gave a smile with a quiet whisper.

"Here. You've got a bit chocolate on your face."

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 **REVIEW! Your thoughts would be loved as always! So I know I shouldn't be starting another story but I've fallen head-over-heels in love with Disney's Descendants, it makes my Disney heart so happy!**

 **Pairing is headed one way but I'm open to input as the story progresses, and it wouldn't be the first time my characters have run off with their own agenda lol**

 **Bonus points to those who can identify Irene's parents!**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ink & Chocolate**

 **Chapter Two**

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Fortunately, Irene didn't have to say much of anything as Prince Ben led them into the castle, stopping only to activate the magical transformation of his father's statue to remind them all that anything is possible. Although the show of magic caused the white haired boy, Carlos, to leap spectacularly into his friend's arms with a sharp shriek of surprise. The tall boy, Jay, dropped him to his feet just as easily as he caught him, which could have been a testament to how often the boy was startled to such a degree. When Ben started to lead the procession again, Carlos tried to mimic the prince and clapped his hands, warily observing the statue.

Nothing happened.

"I'm afraid it's a family trick," she spoke up, accidentally causing him to flinch again. Well, it wasn't the first time she had startled someone after being relatively quiet. She tended to have the effect, she supposed. She quickly held her hands up in what she hoped was a reassuring manner. "S-sorry! It's just that, only Ben and members of the royal family can activate the Beast's statue magic. Wouldn't really want everyone to have the ability to transfigure the Beast, i-it might exhaust the magic…"

"O-oh," was all he said, glancing back at the intimidating figure. She silently gestured to the group moving further away and they quickened their pace to catch up.

Once inside, she was relieved to see Doug making his way downstairs with a clipboard and Ben seemed just as relieved, quickly moving toward him.

"This is Doug!" introduced Ben, putting his arm around the shorter boy's shoulders. "He'll be helping you with your class schedules and show you the rest of the dorms with Irene."

The two familiar students shared a look of relief, each one mildly apprehensive about being left with the children from the Isle. Ben walked back to Audrey's side, the princess watching Mal, the girl with the purple hair, very closely.

"I'll see you later, okay?" said Ben, making direct eye contact with Maleficent's daughter. She simply stared at him in return. "And if there's anything you need, feel free to—"

"—Ask Doug!" chimed Audrey, taking the prince's hand as she politely interrupted him once again.

There was an odd strand of strained laughter among Ben, Audrey, and Mal. Sleeping Beauty's daughter wasted no time in leading Ben away from the group by the hand, nearly causing him to stumble with her speed. All heads turned to watch the pair leave, Irene wondering just what had happened with the three to already cause tension. Audrey wanted Ben away from the newcomers as quickly as possible. She was always clingy, or a tad possessive, of Ben but this was downright odd.

"Hi guys," spoke up Doug, giving a small wave as his band hat was still tucked under his arm while he was still in uniform. "I'm Dopey's son. As in, Dopey, Doc, Bashful, Happy, Grumpy, Sleepy…"

It was fairly standard for a student to introduce themselves and then mention their parent, or their title. Somehow, in some way, there were ties to some important figure somewhere in Auradon. Connections were especially important and could be very influential depending on the person. As she wasn't any form of royalty or status, Irene simply refrained from announcing her parentage every time she met someone new.

She frowned slightly as the boy stumbled over reciting the last of his uncles. The last one was Sneezy, she recalled, wondering why he was stumbling over the introductory spiel that she knew for a fact that he had memorized.

"Heigh ho…" he whispered.

The gorgeous girl in blue moved toward him, her hands on her hips.

"Evie. Evil Queen's daughter," she informed him silkily, looking him right in the eye. He was rendered speechless as he could only stare, transfixed.

Irene gave a sharp cough and he sputtered, snapping out of the daze. Oh she was sure to tease him about it later, the ginger haired girl smiled to herself.

"So –I, uh, put in the requirements already," he began, quickly looking down at the clipboard he was carrying. "History with Pirates, Safety Rules for the Internet, and, uh," he cleared his throat as Mal looked over his shoulder to see the schedule for herself. His voice cracked guiltily. "Remedial Goodness 101...?"

"Let me guess," said Mal, conjuring a treat from her jacket's pocket. Irene could hear the wrapper crinkle as the treat was smoothly removed from its golden confines. "New class?"

Doug could only nod. She dropped the paper, letting the shiny wrapping flutter to the ground without concern as she turned toward her friends.

"C'mon guys. Let's go find our dorms."

The purple haired deviant headed toward the right hand staircase while Irene stepped toward the left, stopping in confusion at their opposite directions. She looked back to see Doug's gaze following Evie as she passed him, hardly aware of his surroundings. With a short sigh, she gave a short whistle and that seemed to snap him out of it. He looked at her in confusion and she gestured toward her staircase, her own uncertainty obvious.

"I thought it was going to be this way?" she half stage whispered. "The new open rooms start over on this side don't they?"

"Oh!" He quickly looked up to see the four nearly to the first landing of the staircase. "Oh, yeah, your dorms are this way, guys."

Looking from Doug to Irene, she gave a small wave from the opposite staircase, still apprehensive about the new game of Follow the Leader. Without a word, they turned around and Mal brought the group to her shortly. With a quick breath, she turned and led them up the flight of stairs.

"At Auradon Prep, the dormitories go every-other floor. Which means that girls will be here on the first level while boys will be on the second, and so on and so forth. There are a total of six floors dedicated for dormitories since there are only two students assigned to each room and there's not an overwhelming quantity of students…"

"And why's that?" asked Evie. "Are only royalty allowed?"

"Well," she paused for a moment. "It's a very pretentious school, so only those with high academics or high-income families typically can foot the bill to be here, really. It's very difficult to even get in otherwise."

"So which are you?" asked Mal, still snacking on her candy. Irene paled a bit.

"Ex-excuse me?"

"Which are you, brainy or rich?" she asked again, using blunt words to clarify her meaning.

"Oh, um, I'm here on scholarship," she answered, her face daring to color from being slightly flustered. Her heart leapt at the sight of the first door that held a white sign bearing a beautiful script of "Evie & Mal" to declare their room.

"Here we are, first room!" she announced, thrilled to have a new topic to discuss. "Mal, Evie, this will be yours. The keys should be on the nightstands by your beds, if not, you can come to me or Doug and we'll get it sorted for you. If you're interested in a tour of the grounds—"

"We're not," clipped Mal. She opened the door and the two stepped inside without looking at her twice, the door closing behind them.

"…A-alrighty then…"

With the girls in their room, she tentatively looked back at the two boys who were watching her carefully. Jay with his arms folded over his chest and Carlos with his hands in his pockets, both studying her which was slightly disconcerting.

"Well, on to your rooms then…?" she said, doing her best to sound confident. That didn't stop her voice from lifting as if it was a question. It was just odd to have the focus specifically on her. She was used to being a part of a group or in the background, not so much under a person's scrutiny. Jay unfolded one well-defined arm to gesture to the rest of the hallway.

"After you."

Much to her relief, it was a quick moment to the second floor where she immediately spotted the sign hanging from the door that said "Jay & Carlos" and she was quick to present the room to them.

"Last but not least, your room!" she chirped, so relieved. Stepping to the side, she watched the boys open the door to their new living space. Since they weren't as abrupt as the girls, she got to see their reactions. Their eyes widened at the sight, their heads moving from one side to the other to take in the size. There was a large circle desk for homework, a fireplace for when winter would arrive, a large flat screen television set up above the fireplace's mantle so to watch shows or play video games, and then there were the two large four-posters—

"A real bed…" awed Carlos, his voice barely a whisper.

She knew that he probably didn't mean for her to hear him, but her heart couldn't help but break at his words. Why was he so shocked? Was life really so terrible on the Isle that he couldn't even have a proper bed? Everyone deserved a bed. When he glanced her way, she clapped her hands together to break her stare and cleared her throat.

"Well, that's that. If you have any questions or need help with anything, my room is number 101 and Doug's is—"

"What about the tour?" asked Jay, turning back to face her.

"I'm-sorry?" she stumbled over her words, glancing between the two. "Do you honestly want a tour? You don't have to if you don't want to. It won't hurt my feelings any, I promise."

"Yeah, I'd like to look around. Get a feel of the layout and everything," added Carlos.

She couldn't stop herself from giving a bright smile. Even if the task was randomly thrown upon her, they honestly wanted a tour and by gosh was she going to help them. She was more than happy to help them become comfortable at Auradon Prep.

"Of course! Let's go then!"

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It was sundown by the time the three returned to the dormitories. She collapsed onto her bed with aching feet but she was immensely pleased with how the tour went that afternoon. Once they were outside she felt more comfortable and lost some of her awkward stammer as she went into the descriptions and definitions of the different structures and places. The more she talked, the easier it became to interact with them. They actually asked questions as well, such as the property boundaries and curfew. She was more than happy to explain how strict Fairy Godmother was about curfews since she was rather renowned for it. Not that there weren't a few loopholes that could be exploited but she didn't disclose that type of information. If they found the loopholes themselves then no one would be incriminated for giving out intel that could be misused.

She was also able to show them the tourney field where practice was happening but neither seemed especially interested so she went ahead and led them to the library. One of her favorite places to be, the grandiose building with its shelves nearly bowing with the weight of its books. Jay seemed to appreciate the grandeur but that was about it. It was Carlos's eyes that lit up at the sight of all of the amassed knowledge. She took the time to explain the check-out procedures and where the study nooks were before Jay was obviously bored. Afterwards, she was sure to lead them to the dining hall where all the meals were served and both of them perked up at the mention of food.

Somehow along the tour she had managed to lose her watch. Again. She had trouble fastening it tight enough and it wasn't the first time it had slipped off. Hopefully it would turn up somewhere.

"I still think those kids are going to be trouble," grumbled Audrey. She was sitting at her vanity and brushing her hair with deliberate care in front of the large mirror.

"I think they'll do just fine," Irene spoke up, properly acknowledging the princess's complaint for the first time since the proclamation. Audrey turned on her stool to give her a long look. Irene sat up and began to mess with her own hair, not bothering to look in a mirror. She set her clip on the nightstand and let the heavy hair fall down her back as she set to work untying the halo braid that kept the rest from her face. She had inherited her mother's hair color and brown eyes, but outside of that, she was most certainly her father's daughter and had his penchant for music.

"You spent all day with them then?" asked Audrey with a sniff of disapproval.

She ruffled her hair, relishing the relaxing feeling of loose hair. "Yes, I suppose I did. Ben asked me to give them a tour, remember?"

Audrey simply gave a huff before returning to her hair.

"I still say they're bad news. Especially Maleficent's daughter."

"I think it'll be fun," Irene said with a shrug.

On that note, their conversation ended and the ginger slipped under the covers and curled up for the night. She glanced at the small frame on her nightstand, depicting the image of her parents and herself with dozens of spotted puppies, laughing with the joy of the moment. Reaching up, she shut off her light with a smile.

For some reason, she was excited for class and she quietly hoped that she would have at least one class with the children from the Isle of the Lost.

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 **REVIEW! Your thoughts would be loved as always! And congrats to those who guessed correctly! Irene is the daughter of Roger and Anita Radcliffe from the 101 Dalmatians story! Good work at spotting the clues! (Pun intended lol) And I bet you all can guess what really happened to Irene's watch lol**

 **Next time, classes start and real interactions begin!**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ink & Chocolate**

 **Chapter Three**

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Nothing too unusual happened the following morning during her first few classes. She didn't have anything scheduled with any of the Isle kids yet, to her disappointment. It was when she had a free period when something out of the ordinary occurred.

"Irene!"

It was a little nervous chirp of a voice and her arm was suddenly grabbed, causing her to flinch. She hadn't been paying attention, too busy with going over her own notes, determining how to use her free period. Jane, the daughter to the headmistress the Fairy Godmother, had appeared out of nowhere and latched onto her arm, nearly causing her to drop her precious notes.

"J-Jane!" she sputtered, surprised. 'What's wrong?"

The poor girl was shaking like a leaf as the ginger shifted her bag more securely on her shoulder and exchanged her notes to her free hand so that the girl in blue could hang onto her and she wouldn't risk crumpling the paper by accident. Jane was a nervous girl by nature and very insecure, but to see her so worked up still made Irene worry.

"I-I have to go deliver these papers to my mom for her signature—it's for the coronation," she quickly explained. Irene nodded in understanding, though still confused. It wasn't a strange thing for Jane to run errands for officials, teachers and the like for her mom. The headmistress was a busy woman and her daughter was a secure person to act as a go-between.

"All right, and the problem is…?"

She squeezed her arm in her nervousness, her face pale. "Mom's teaching Remedial Goodness 101 right now! With the villain students! I can't—I can't go in there! I just can't!" She was short of breath and about to drive herself into hysterics at any moment. Irene walked her over to the side of the hall so to be out of the way and gently grabbed her other arm in return.

"Jane, take a deep breath," she softly instructed.

She shook her head, short hair waving as she squeezed her eyes shut. "Irene, I can't—!"

"Yes, you can. Take a deep breath first," she continued. It wouldn't do them any good if Jane worked herself up so badly that she fainted. There would be even more attention brought to her, which would embarrass the girl far worse, and more negative attention linked to Isle students. It wouldn't be the first time that Jane's nerves had caused her to faint, the freshman end-of-year finals had done that and Irene was luckily present to catch her enough that she didn't hurt herself (because Jane had landed on her instead of the ground due to sheer dumb luck).

After a moment, Jane began to compose herself, taking in deep breaths and releasing slow exhales and her shaking managed to subside. When she seemed all right enough, and some of her color had returned, Irene made the offer she knew the other girl wanted to ask.

"Would you like me to go with you?"

"Y-yes!" she agreed without any hesitation, her grip regaining strength. "I heard, that you had spent the day with them yesterday, is that true? Did they do anything to you?"

"I gave the boys a tour of the grounds since the girls weren't interested and nothing happened to me," she explained. She held her arms open to show her full body. "See? Perfectly fine."

That seemed to reassure her slightly and she nodded her head.

"Lead the way. Let's go see what they're learning in Goodness 101," Irene teased, trying to lighten the mood.

As it would be, the Remedial Goodness 101 class was being held in one of the larger study rooms in the library. Granted, the class only had four students so they weren't wanting for space. There was the large clear door that kept outside noise muffled, which was a bonus as Jane was already giving her trademark terrified squeak every few moments, the squeaks increasing as they approached the room. In fact, it was Irene who had to open the door and give headmistress's daughter a gentle but firm push on the back to get her to enter the room. Jane clutched the papers to her chest as she made her way forward, her head down while Irene followed behind her, observing the other students.

Evie and Mal were at their own table, the blue haired girl sitting upright, her gaze forward toward the board while Mal's was less tense and her head was tilted downward, working on something of her own as she twirled a strand of violet hair. The boys sat across from them, Jay with his chair turned around under him so to lean on the back and Carlos was next to him, watching the board with his back relaxed, book unopened in front of him. In fact, all of their books were unopened. Then again, there most likely wasn't a proper textbook to follow since the course was created solely for the Isle of the Lost students.

It wasn't until Jane squeaked again when they seemed to notice the newcomers. Irene found her gaze lingering on Carlos but once he looked from Jane to her, she quickly looked forward and followed Jane up to the podium where her mom was lecturing the class.

"Hello dear ones," she greeted them, leaning forward on her knees to be more at her daughter's height.

"You need to sign off on the early dismissal for the coronation," Jane whispered quickly to her mother, handing the papers to her nearly blindly as she looked over her shoulder to keep an eye on the other students. Irene did her best not to cave in to the temptation to look at them as well since staring was considered rude and perhaps they didn't like the odd attention. So she tried to busy herself by reading the chalkboard that had the current lecture questions:

 _#1-If someone hands you a crying baby, do you:_

 _Curse it?_

 _Lock it in a tower?_

 _Give it a bottle?_

 _Carve out its heart?_

 _#2-You find a vial of poison. Do you:_

 _Put it in the King's wine?_

 _Paint it on an apple?_

 _Turn it over to the proper authorities?_

Irene let out a very soft, low whistle at the questions. Remedial was the best term for the course as the questions, and the options, were about as standard level villainy and good-guy as they could possibly be. Not to mention the reference to Evie's mother, the Evil Queen who poisoned Snow White with an apple. That seemed a bit low.

Her cheeks then turned pink when she noticed that the attention had slightly shifted to her at the sound of her whistle. She barely noticed when she did it, after all, she lived in a musician's home and was around dogs at all times. Whistling was second nature, to carry a tune or to gain attention and she was doing that before she could properly talk.

"Everyone here remembers my daughter, Jane," said Fairy Godmother, thankfully ending the silence. Jane looked at her in horror, face stark white.

"Mom-no!"

"And this Irene, I believe you all met her yesterday with Ben and Audrey," continued the Headmistress with a smile, ignoring her daughter's panic. Irene gave a small smile and wave to the four who were suddenly watching them intently.

"It's okay. Jane, this is everyone," said the headmistress, turning her daughter so to fully face the class.

"…Hi," she managed. Irene was sure to move along with her, just a half a step behind in the extreme case that she did, in fact, faint. "Don't mind me. As you were."

With one last squeak, Jane managed to move herself forward again. Irene gave soft sigh and another wave to the four before following after her friend, doing her best not to look back at the white haired boy.

Since she had lost most of her free period with helping Jane with her nervous errand, she couldn't work on her project like she typically would have any other day. Normally she could snag the auditorium for at least half of the period before the faculty for the next class would show up and she would have to pack up and leave, not nearly comfortable enough to work with anyone else present.

It was during the History of Pirates, taught by Miss Wendy Darling, when the chair beside her was pulled back and a person dropped down into the seat. Flinching at the sudden sound, and nearly streaking a line of ink across her sheet of empty bars, she looked up quickly to see that Carlos De Vil himself was sitting next to her. Glancing around quickly, very confused by the action, she wondered if something was awry. Normally, she sat at her back corner table and was typically left to her own devices. The class wasn't overly crowded and her naturally ability to fade into the background came into play so no one else ever took the empty seat.

Until now, anyway.

Luckily, she was distracted from her own concern when she noticed the rugged state of the boy. Some parts of his clothing were rumpled, as if they had been put on in a hurry, and there were streaks of dirt smudged across his face. He dropped his bag onto the ground and slumped forward onto the table, head buried in his arm.

"Are…you all right?" she asked slowly, not quite sure how to approach him. He gave a small groan.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you were drafted onto the tourney team for some practice."

A confirming groan.

"Judging by the state of you…" she trailed off, trying to find the nicest way of expressing that maybe he didn't do so well. "…have you thought about band, maybe? We could always use more people."

This time, he sat up slightly and gave a surly look in response. She held up a hands in her defense.

"Or not. Band's not for everyone, plus people in the crowd are very important too," she added quickly, doing her best not to tease him too much.

"Ben said that he'd work with me," he said, leaning forward on his arms again but keeping his head upright. "Whatever that means."

"Oh, if Ben's helping then you should be fine," she said with a smile, returning to her paper. He looked back at her with a strange expression, his stare having enough weight for her to notice before she dove too deep into her work. Glancing back up, her brown eyes widened slightly.

"Um, yes?"

"What do you mean?" He was sitting up properly now and Irene was finding herself becoming immensely distracted by the scattering of freckles across his skin. Maybe she hadn't noticed it before, especially since the rest of his features were so dramatic in color. It was as if his skin had just been dusted with them.

Her cheeks immediately burned as she realized that she hadn't answered his question and was, very guiltily, staring.

"Um-s-sorry?" she stammered quickly, trying to will the heat away.

He gave a small cough and she could've sworn his cheeks pinked ever so slightly, but that had to be her imagination. "I said, what did you mean? About Ben helping me?"

"Oh, just that Ben's an excellent teacher," she explained. A loose strand of ginger hair escaped her halo braid and she tucked it away, glancing away while trying to will her own blush away. "You'll be a pro in no time," she added, giving a smile.

The other students started to fill up the class and the vacant seats. She didn't bother to look up to see if anyone had noticed that the villain's son had decided to sit next to her. Instead, she kept her head bowed as she twirled her pen between her fingers, studying the paper before her. She had just started to go over the previous page, barely humming under her breath when Carlos spoke up again.

"Hey, are there any magic based classes here?"

She looked up from her work, resting the top of her pen against her lips for a short moment.

"No, not really," she said. "Magic isn't taught anymore. We've gone over it a bit in when it comes up in class but it's all in past tense. And it's not that it doesn't work, it's just obsolete now."

"And the Fairy Godmother, even she doesn't use magic?" asked Carlos. She turned in her seat more toward him to see that he was paying close attention. The focus dared to color her cheeks again. She busied herself with answering the question.

"Not even her. She's the most qualified, of course, but even her wand is locked away in the Museum of Cultural History," she explained. "But it's not as if there's no magic whatsoever. I mean, there's items that are enchanted, especially the ones from the old days, but the bridge between here and the Isle is probably one of the bigger, more recent feats of magic I believe."

"So all that magic here at your disposal, you don't even use it?" asked Carlos, leaning in slightly with interest.

"Well, I think it's kept away because magic can be a slippery slope. Right now we're in a time of peace so there's no need for it, but if times suddenly got bad again I don't doubt that we would call upon it again," she theorized. "As of right now, we don't need it and technology is evolving at such a pace, I'd be surprised if we called upon it again, to be honest."

There was the tapping of the wooden pointer against the podium as Miss Wendy took her place at the front of the room.

"Now let us begin today's lesson. As you know, yesterday we left off…"

With the lecture beginning, Irene propped her book open and slowly tuned out the teacher's voice as she returned to her own work. A plus to staying in the back of class is that her own work looked as if she was taking notes. As it was history, she wasn't overly concerned about following the lesson during class since she would just go over it on her own after classes. It wasn't a difficult course to follow.

As the class carried on, she was dimly aware of Carlos looking over at her every so often. Doing her best not to notice, she simply carried on with her work, slowly filling the empty bars on her paper. It was when he lightly bumped her elbow with his own did she finally looked up completely.

"You're humming," he whispered. Her blush returned with a vengeance, embarrassed. She hadn't even noticed and she quickly looked around the classroom and was relieved to see that no one else was looking back at her, even Miss Wendy was still lecturing and writing something on the blackboard.

"Thanks," she whispered back. "Sorry, I'll stop."

"What's that you're working on?" he asked, interested. He even leaned over some to try and get a better look. "It looks more interesting than this lesson," he joked.

"It's, well, it's…" She was torn between wanting to show him or to simply cover it up. It was just that she never really showed her work to others. Most people vaguely knew what she did due to her parentage, some had caught a glimpse of her sheet music, and even fewer had actually heard it properly played.

"It looks like music?" guessed Carlos. He looked from the paper to her, curiosity obvious. "Did you make this yourself?"

"I—well, I mean—"

Her flustered stammer was interrupted when something caught her eye, just outside the classroom window. Brown eyes widened at the sight of the small animal pulling itself up on the window ledge, its black spots standing out against its white fur. It took the pup a minute before its gaze found her and its pink tongue lolled out in joy as it balanced precariously on its back legs, its front paws against the glass, wanting her attention as it wagged its tail enthusiastically.

The bell couldn't have ringed at a better moment.

"Sorry—I've got to go-!"

She quickly grabbed her belongings and shoved them into her bag, not looking at his expression of complete confusion.

"What…?"

"Sorry, it's a—it's a family thing…!" The excuse was barely out before she booked it out of the room, leaving the stunned villain behind.

* * *

 **REVIEW! Your thoughts would be loved as always! So we have a little more interaction with Irene and the others characters, some mundane school stuff but she finally gets a class with Carlos, even if he's a little worse for wear after Tourney lol And now we have a bit more of Irene's family traits coming to the surface, Carlos spotting her music sheets and a cute little uninvited guest as well!**

 **Next time: Dogs can be mischievous matchmakers too ;)**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ink & Chocolate**

 **Chapter Four**

* * *

It didn't take Irene any time to weave through the small crowds of students and dash outside, her bag barely staying on her shoulder. Slightly breathless, she looked from side to side, trying to catch a glimpse of the mischievous puppy. Turning a full circle to make sure that no one was in her vicinity, she brought her thumb and forefinger to her lips and gave a loud sharp whistle, the sound ringing throughout the courtyard.

A small yip sounded in response.

With a rueful smile, Irene took off toward the left where the sound originated. Her smile turned into a full grin at the sight of the familiar spotted fur bounding toward her and she dropped to her knees and held her arms wide open. Barely a moment later she was able to wrap her arms around the pup that wriggled as it tried to lick her face, body shaking with the enthusiasm of its tail wagging.

"Oh Pongo, you troublemaker!" she teasingly chided. Pongo licked her cheek in response.

It wasn't her father's dog, Pongo, but a young puppy she had named after him. Sure, the puppy was a girl but she had always loved the name, and the dog, and when the moment arrived, she gave the much loved name to the young dog. Technically, her name should be Pongo II but Irene didn't care for the formal title. She was simply her Pongo.

"I can't believe you sneaked off again!" she admonished. "What will the others think?"

Pongo gave a little bark, tongue hanging out as she looked up at the girl with bright brown eyes. She smiled down at the dog as she rested on the grass, brushing the soft fur as she wagged her tail. It wasn't very Auradon of her to be sitting randomly in the grass, dirtying her tights and skirt from the ground, gaining prints from Pongo's little paws. If Audrey saw her she wouldn't hear the end of it. She didn't care one bit.

Irene was usually scuffing up her clothing back home anyway. Her family lived out in the country so to take care of the one hundred and one Dalmatians that had fallen into their care. The Dalmatian Plantation, as it was so named. Twenty years had passed since then and the countryside estate only seemed to grow in size. After all, starting with ninety-nine puppies certainly meant that things weren't about to get any smaller. Not all the puppies had stayed there, of course. Some were adopted, by good well-meaning families, some went off to help the local fire stations, and others became guide dogs and the like. Still, the Dalmatian Plantation was still a safe haven for all animals. There were other types of dogs that came into their care, and cats as well. If people couldn't take care of their pets, they would bring them to the Plantation instead of abandoning them. They could even visit the pets as well, and in return, they would take a few puppies out and visit the hospital to act as a special treat for the patients.

Animals brought so much joy, even Irene couldn't keep the smile from her face as she hugged her puppy, her chest filling with warmth.

Pongo wriggled herself free with a bark and tugged at her bag, sniffing around and trying to poke her nose inside.

"Easy there, I know what you're looking for," she laughed, rubbing her ears and nudging her out of the bag before she found a piece of homework instead. "And it's not in there, it's back in my room. I wasn't exactly expecting you, you know."

Pongo gave a small whine, sitting down fully and looking up at her, her tail still moving happily. Irene smiled and crinkled her nose at the puppy, rubbing the spotted ears again.

"Come on, let's go for a walk. Maybe we'll see Dude?" she suggested. Pongo perked up and jumped to her feet, ready to go. Laughing, she got to feet and absent mindedly brushed her clothes off before the pair started to head for the tourney field.

Dude was the campus mutt and loved to be around people, so his typical hangout was the ever popular sports field. Pongo was also fond of the other dog and was always very excited to interact with other animals as well as people. It certainly wasn't the pup's first visit to the campus as she trotted just barely ahead of the girl's stride, leading the way. Pongo had a knack for slipping off to the boarding school. It typically happened when Pongo (the original) and Perdita had to come for the Council of Sidekicks meetings and, somehow, little Pongo would manage to stow away or follow them enough to make her way to the school grounds.

Irene glanced at her wrist to check the time but only saw her bare skin. She gave a sigh, having forgotten that she had lost her watch the other day. That was what she got for not fitting it correctly. Not that it mattered too much as she was always late anyway.

Pongo made a small interested sound, making Irene snap out of her thoughts. They had made it to the edge of the tourney field and she spotted the two figures out near the center. She recognized Ben and then Carlos, who was in some sort of prepped stance. That's right, he had mentioned that Ben was going to work with him for the tourney team. Even with her distance she could see the clipboard in the prince's hand, indicating his commitment to helping the young villain.

Pongo gave a small yip and a small excited bounce. Looking directly across from them, she could see the small brown figure of Dude dashing across the grass. The oddest part was that he wasn't running toward Pongo, instead he was going for the boys. Which wasn't too strange since it was Ben who gave the dog his "campus" status and the dog loved to play with the team, chasing after the ball with them.

It was that Pongo had given a yip and started to run toward them as well.

"Pongo-!" she called. Her feet slipped out from under her from her sudden start but it hardly bothered her as she simply pushed herself back up. Her adrenaline suddenly spiked when she heard Carlos's panicked scream and she kicked her legs into high gear. She couldn't stop herself from calling his name.

" _Carlos_!"

It took Ben a moment to realize what was going on, but after seeing the other boy speed past him with two dogs and a girl not too far behind, he too joined in the chase.

"Carlos!"

Carlos disappeared into the wooded area at the edge of the field with the two dogs on his heels and Irene and Ben entered a few beats afterward. She began to panic when they disappeared from sight, vanishing further down the path and his shrieks becoming fainter with the distance.

"No! No—stop!" he begged.

"Carlos?!" she called again.

When they came to the next curve in the path, Irene had to grab hold of Ben's sleeve to keep from falling over in her heels from skidding to a halt. Carlos De Vil had climbed the nearest tree, doing his best to create distance between himself and the two small dogs that were looking up at him with their tails wagging.

"Carlos!" called Prince Ben and Irene, voices chorusing.

"Ben? Irene?!" he answered, unable to turn around and see them due to his spot in the tree. "Please help me!"

"Carlos, it's all right!" called Irene, moving quickly so that he could see her. She picked up Pongo while Dude trotted over to Ben, wanting to be picked up as well. Carlos looked down with wide fearful eyes, pointing accusingly at the dogs.

"Those things are killers! They're gonna chase me down and rip out my throat!" he explained, voice still high with fright. "Those are vicious, rabid, pack animals!"

Pongo gave a small whine at the insult. Irene looked from Ben to Carlos, absolutely incredulous.

"Hey, who told you that?" asked Ben, Dude tucked under his arm.

"My mother!"

"Cruella?" named Irene, stunned. That just couldn't be right.

Carlos nodded in affirmative. "She's a dog expert. A dog yellerer."

Ben was the first to give a soft chuckle at the situation while Irene remained stunned from the absurdity. Carlos, on the other hand, could not comprehend why they weren't more aware of the non-existent danger of canines.

"Why are you holding them?! They're going to attack you!" he warned, hugging the tree tightly, closing his eyes.

Ben and Irene shared a look before the girl stepped closer and spoke up. "Carlos, have you _ever_ met a dog before?"

"Of course not!"

"Well then," started Ben, moving closer as well. "Dude, this is Carlos. Carlos, this is Dude. He's the campus mutt." He even made Dude's paw wave in a little greeting.

It took a moment of Carlos studying the brown mutt and gradually leaning away from the tree's safety.

"He doesn't… _look_ like a vicious, rabid, pack animal…" he said cautiously. He looked to Irene next. "And-and that one?"

"This is Pongo," she introduced. Pongo yipped in her own greeting, tongue lolling out as she looked between the two students. His brow seemed to furrow in recognition as he looked from the pup to her and she felt her face warm as he connected the dots. "They probably just chased after you because they thought you were playing. Dude's very fond of Ben."

Now Carlos crept down from the tree, gaze focused on Dude again. Slowly reaching out with his gloved hand, he gently brushed the dog's fur. "Geez…you're a good boy…aren't you?" he spoke softly to the animal.

The next moment, Ben had shifted Dude into Carlos's arms much to the villain's surprise. Dude was being perfectly compliant with the exchange, not making any sudden movements with the exception of the subtle wagging of his tail. Carlos was still speaking softly to the dog, as if to reassure himself as much as the dog.

When he broke out into a wide grin, Irene thought her heart was going to burst at the sight. Her cheeks warmed further and even she smiled in response, not minding her blush at the moment.

"I guess you all have it pretty rough on the island then, huh?" asked Ben gently.

The warmth in her heart changed to ache as his smile faded at the mention of the Isle of the Lost.

"Yeah…let's just say that we don't get a lot of belly rubs," he said. A deflective answer that still implied the low quality of life on the island.

"I'm glad that you're here now," she heard herself say. Her blush burned brighter as the two looked her way but she stood by what she said, even if it was unintentionally spoken aloud.

"She's right," said Ben, thankfully taking the attention. He clapped Carlos on the shoulder. "Good boy. I mean-! You're a good runner. You're quite fast, you know," he backtracked, quickly covering up his slip.

"Oh, yeah, thanks."

"Listen, I'm going to give you guys some space," said the soon-to-be King. Irene's head whipped to the side, gaze widened at the decision, and wondering just what Ben thought he was up to. He smiled at the two, giving Carlos on last clap on the shoulder. "I'm sure the two of you have a lot to talk about. So I'm going to let you all get to know each other and just come find me when you're done, yeah?"

He nodded, glancing back at the girl and not lessening his hold on Dude.

"Besides," said Ben, giving Irene a wink. "Irene's the best person I know when it comes to dogs."

Her blush burned another shade brighter. "Ben—!"

The Prince gave one last wave before heading back toward the tourney field, leaving the two alone.

Pongo wriggled herself free and then bounded over to where Carlos had taken a seat on a fallen log. Giving a soft bark, she placed her paws against his leg and looked up at him expectantly. Carlos looked to Irene with anxious eyes and she gave a smile, moving to sit beside him.

"She just wants you to pet her," she explained. She brought her own hand up and lightly scratched the top of the pup's head. "She likes it best like this though."

He nodded and tentatively moved his hand to where hers had been and copied the action. Their fingertips brushed as they exchanged places, their fingers slipping through the empty spaces perfectly and Irene pulled her hand back with a fierce blush, looking away. Pongo moved her entire backside with the enthusiasm and licked his hand in appreciation, making the boy laugh. She couldn't help but smile at the sound, glancing back at him.

"See? You're a natural."

It was quiet for a moment as he adjusted to being with the dogs. Dude remained in his arms while Pongo made her way back to Irene's lap, dozing off as she stroked her spotted fur. After enjoying the silence, it was Carlos who softly spoke up first.

"So…you're…?" he trailed off as he bit back the rest of the question. He tried to busy himself with petting Dude, lowering his head.

"Yeah," Irene answered anyway, having a fair idea of what his question would have been. He perked up at her voice. "My parents are Roger and Anita Radcliffe."

"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked. This time he was looking right at her and she did her best to swallow her blush, but to no avail. She just couldn't help it around him it seemed.

"I-I didn't think it was necessary," she shrugged. "It never came up until now."

He was staring at her in outright disbelief. "Not necessary? But my mother—"

"Isn't here," she found herself interrupting. Her blush slightly escalated at her forward behavior but she kept on, locking eyes with the boy. "And you're not her."

"How do you…how can you tell?" His voice was so quiet when he asked, and she saw that he hugged Dude a little more and her heart constricted with emotion at the sight.

"I just…I just know." She gave a shake of her head, the loose strands flying. "I know that's not a good enough answer or reason but it's just what I feel. I-I have a good feeling about you…!"

Carlos could only stare back with wide eyes at the ginger haired girl. Her hair and clothes were mussed as if she had fallen but that didn't take away from the energy she was giving off right in that moment. Light brown eyes were burning with emotion as she spoke to him, giving her reasons as to why she trusted him. When she had every reason not to after the cruel mayhem his mother caused. He was still in shock that she was allowing him near the little Dalmatian after what horror his mother wanted to do with the small animals. Just having Dude in his arms seemed to help settle his anxiety from earlier and he couldn't begin to understand why his mom would want to make coats out the animals. It just didn't make sense to him, not even slightly.

And Irene…her passion was nearly tangible and he could feel his face growing warm with her being so close, their knees touching and with her even leaning toward him. She was so sure about him that he wanted to believe it as well.

He couldn't explain it either but…he had a good feeling about her too…

* * *

 **REVIEW! Your thoughts would be much loved as always! Sorry if it's a tad short, but I wanted to get this up before classes start tomorrow (boo, school). And it's a bit of Dalmatian info and Carlos/Irene with a dash of fluff (and Ben playing a bit of matchmaker lol)! We'll get more info about Irene's Pongo, their history, and what Pongo was looking for in her bag later ;)**

 **Hope you all enjoyed! And good luck with the new school year!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ink & Chocolate**

 **Chapter Five**

* * *

Carlos could feel his head ringing with all of the information he took in a single afternoon. He had lost track with the amount of time that he spent sitting in the woods with Irene. He had asked her any and all questions that he ever had regarding dogs. Question after question fell out of his mouth and the girl simply smiled and answered each and every one of them. She was very patient with him and answered everything in as much detail as she could, which he immensely appreciated. All the while he became more and more at ease around the two small dogs and Dude was being completely still in his arms, only looking up curiously whenever he stopped petting him, quietly wanting him to continue, enjoying the attention.

It was also very interesting to see Irene interact with the small Dalmatian as well. She was so comfortable with the pup, barely aware of herself as she pet the fur as the puppy snuggled in her lap for a nap while she continued to speak to him. Then when Pongo was awake, she seemed especially in sync with the girl, almost as if she was paying attention to what they were saying, her little head looking back and forth between the two students.

He found himself leaning in as he listened to her talk about dogs and the Dalmatians especially. The way her face would light up and the honest _love_ in her voice. That was the only way he could explain the tone. He hoped that, one day, he would be able to talk about something so passionately. Then there were moments where she was using that tone and looking at him, brown eyes so bright, and he couldn't explain why his face grew warm.

In fact, his face started to warm up as he thought back to those brown eyes. He was currently sitting on the floor of the girl's dormitory with the laptop open and Dude sitting beside him, and he barely noticed that his hand seemed to never leave his fur. It was reassuring. Luckily, Evie was busy with homework and Mal was studying her spell book so neither one commented if his complexion changed. He even smiled a bit to himself.

The door was already opened and the figure of Jay soon filled the frame, wearing the bright blue jersey of the tourney team. He took a firm step into the room and brought his arms up in a flexed pose, showing off for everyone. Carlos gave a sharp wolf whistle, crediting Jay's new apparel.

"So how'd it go with Jane?" asked Jay, leaning against Mal's bed post. "Are you going over to see the wand later?"

"Do you think that I would be going through every spell in this book if I hadn't completely struck out?" snapped Mal, her voice rising slightly in pitch near the end. She was obviously stressed, and Evie glanced up from her schoolwork, concerned as well.

"Oh, someone's in a bad mood," said Carlos. Maybe if he could distract from the elephant in the room, everyone could breathe a little easier.

He received a flick on the back of his head instead.

"My mom's counting on me!" she reasoned. "I can't let her down!"

"We can do this…" spoke up Jay. All three of them turned to look at their tallest friend, startled by his words. The Arabian paused for a moment, unsure of his own words and his voice went soft.

"…if we stick together."

It was quiet for a moment and then Mal was the one who spoke next.

"And we won't go back until we do."

As long as their mission was unfinished, the technically couldn't go back to the Isle and would have to stay in Auradon. Which wasn't the worst thing he could think of, to be honest. Anywhere was better than Hell Hall with his mother back on the Isle.

"Because we're rotten…"

The rest dully chorused.

"…to the core…"

* * *

It was the day of the big game and Irene was busy running back and forth all over campus. Pongo didn't mind, cheerfully chasing after as they ran their errands.

" _Play! Play! Play!_ "

"Not right now, silly, we've got to run these errands!" laughed Irene as the pair made their way up the stairs. Pongo's good attitude didn't waver in the slightest.

 _"Errands! Errands! Errands!"_

The small black piece covering Irene's left ear was a small device that integrated magic and technology, one of the few rare items that actually held modern magic. It was created so to overcome the language barrier that kept people from understanding animals. Ironically it was a one-way difficulty as the animals could understand people rather well. The items were used when the Council of Sidekicks would meet since the council included her family's very own Pongo and Perdita, Cinderella's mice, and Ariel's friend Flounder, which collectively would cause a language barrier to be formed. So, the Fairy Godmother used magic on the rare occurrence and created a small case of the devices so that everyone could be understood.

It was actually Ben who brought her a pair of the items, designed like a subtle single ear piece, wrapped around her ear, completely concealed by her hair if she ever wore it down. She was so surprised by the random action and that the Prince even thought of her when he learned of the technology. She remembered being so awed by the wonderful device and so incredibly humbled that he would even think of her, or consider entrusting her with one, let alone two.

Now the second piece was sitting at the bottom of her bag. She thought that maybe Carlos would appreciate it and it would maybe help to ease his fear of dogs. She couldn't help but smile to herself again as she and Pongo took off toward the tourney field, running a little late as usual.

* * *

The crowd and the band were in full swing as the tourney match continued on. Everyone was on their feet, going along with the cheers and chants while the band provided music during the breaks and timeouts. Irene was in her yellow dress with blue sweater, sporting the team colors just like the rest of the students. She was stationed down in the front of the band section so to help coordinate and conduct when needed. Fortunately the Auradon Prep band was well-trained and only required minimal supervision which allowed her to focus more on the game at hand.

"This is a nail-biter, folks. There's forty-seven seconds left on the clock. We're all tied up. The Sherwood Falcons, two. The Fighting Knights, two. What a game between Auradon's fiercest rivals," said the announcer over the speaker system.

The speaker was right. The game had been tight the entire time and Irene's hands were beginning to hurt from all the clapping and cheering. Pongo was sitting on the first row of bleachers right in front of her, barking along with the crowd, her little tail wagging in excitement. The Sherwood Falcons were the strongest team to play against which was exactly why they were Auradon Prep's top rival team. With the other team being coached by Robin Hood himself, their record was pristine and perfect all season long which made them thoroughly intimidating to play against.

"The teams get into their huddles and take up positions along the kill zone. The Dragoneers have been laying down a withering hail of fire. And now a substation by Coach Jenkins…"

It took a moment for Irene to focus on the players on the bench and she spotted Jay's long hair as he got up from the bench and she grinned. They were going to let the kids from the Isle play! Her excitement mixed with worry as Jay brought the much slighter figure of Carlos De Vil to his feet as well. The white haired boy quickly slipped back onto the bench, shaking his head. Jay yanked him back up again.

Her hands began to sting as she clapped as hard as she could as the two villains took the field, Carlos tugging on his helmet.

"Yes! Go Knights!" she called out, her voice lost in the crowd. Still grinning, she couldn't help but hope that maybe they knew that she was cheering for them specifically.

The announcer continued. "He's bringing that hothead Jay in from the Isle of the Lost and that little guy Carlos can barely hold a shield. When they break from their huddles, it's going to be a big moment here. And the tipoff is ready."

The whistle blew and the ball was launched and the announcer went into high gear following the movements.

"Here we go! Long pass goes to Jay. Jay dishes off to Prince Ben. Nice little block by Carlos. He does a little dancing jig in his opponent's face."

It was so fast to follow and Irene was relying heavily on the announcer's words as she tried to follow the blue figures, giving an extra cheer at Carlos's moment and laughing aloud at his victory dance.

"And now Jay gets the ball back—here comes Jay! Jay, hurdling maneuver at mid-field. Jay makes a nice pass to Prince Ben through the kill zone. Big block by Chad! Prince Ben moves over wide, gives it back to Jay. He's in the clear! Shot!"

Her breath was caught in her throat as she got ready to celebrate but the ball was effectively blocked by the opposing team.

"Oh what a save by the Falcon's goalkeeper! Twenty-three seconds left. You could cut a tension with a sword."

They were so close, but her faith didn't waver as they made their way back to center field. She hadn't realized that Jay was so good! He was fast, strong, and the way he dodged the Dragoneers shots in the kill zone was nothing short of aerobatic. The announcer was basically singing Jay's praises.

"The long ball is played into Jay. Jay, great jump, great leap. And a great move by Jay. Big block from Chad. Jay dishes off to Prince Ben. And then Carlos with a big block, goes down."

She gasped as Carlos was knocked clean off his feet and onto his back by the opposing team. Probably as a little payback for his victory dance from earlier. Her grin returned when she saw Jay running his way and he grabbed the back of his jersey and lifted Carlos to his feet without missing a beat.

"Yes! Go, team, go!" she heard herself shout.

"Jay, through the kill zone, picks up Carlos. Oh, he's being hammered by dragon fire. Still, going strong. Jay, hurdling maneuver at mid-field. He's in the clear. The ball goes back to Jay."

She gasped, surprised, when Carlos brought his shield up and sent the ball up high. Then he ducked down under his shield and Jay was able to leap into the air and pass the ball to Ben simultaneously.

"He passes to Prince Ben-"

She held her breath as Price Ben seemed to move in slow motion as he reared back and chambered the shot. The ball sailed through the air, perfectly following its desired path and it hit the net of the goal without any obstruction. The buzzer rang out overhead with its finality.

They won.

"He scores! Prince Ben has won it! What an unselfish play by Jay! What a team! Incredible! And it's the new guys, Jay and Carlos, who set the prince for the win here! What a victory!"

Her cheeks were hurting from smiling and cheering so much but she didn't even care. She clapped even harder as the rest of the crowd went wild with celebration and the team started to make their way over toward their fans.

"An absolutely wonderful end to one of the best games ever. Here they come, folks. The winner of the first tourn-" the announcer's voice ended abruptly and Irene's brown eyes widened in surprise as Prince Ben walked up and took the golden microphone right out of his hand and climbed onto the Dragoneer platform.

"Excuse me. Excuse me. Can I have your attention please? There's something I'd like to say."

Confused, the crowd began to quiet down and their undivided attention fell to their soon-to-be-King. Ben paused for a moment, blinking as he glanced around at the cheerleaders and his fellow teammates. Irene bit her lower lip in concern. Was he going to make a speech? Whenever Ben had to make a public appearance for a speech or anything similar, he usually took the time to prepare and practice. He never did anything so foolhardily impromptu. At least not during the time that Irene knew him.

"Give me an "M"!" he declared, bringing his hands to the top of his head to form the letter with his body.

"M!"

"Give me an "A"!"

"A!"

"Give me an "L"!"

"L!"

"What's that spell?"

"Mal!"

Irene covered her mouth, stunned, as she looked over and spotted the shock of purple hair in the crowd, Mal's expression equally struck with confusion.

"Come on, I can't hear you!"

"MAL!

"I love you, Mal. Did I mention that?" declared Prince Ben, his voice loud and clear due to the microphone. Irene couldn't help but blush from second-hand embarrassment as she looked between the Prince and the daughter of Malificent, catching a glimpse of Audrey leaving the field in a huff. The entire crowd was cheering as they turned to look at the purplette who was staring wide eye in shock. Ben then turned to the band.

"Give me a beat!"

Irene and Doug shared a look and the girl quickly jumped down to the ground to stand before the band to help direct the new song. It wasn't uncommon for anyone to break out in song, after all it was Auradon. So the band had a few songs kept in reserve just in case such a moment arrived.

"Uno, dos, tres, quarto!" called Irene and Doug.

The upbeat tempo quickly picked up and it didn't take long for everyone to get a feel for the beat. Irene was already swaying side to side, clapping her hands together to help keep the band in rhythm.

It took Ben no time to come up with his own lyrics. In fact, the ginger haired girl was fairly impressed with how quickly he thought of the words to declare his love.

"Did I mention...That I'm in love with you. And did I mention...There's nothing I can do. And did I happen to say-I dream of you every day? But let me shout it out loud, if that's okay, hey hey…That's okay…"

"Hey!" the other tourney players were joining in now.

"I met this girl that rocked my world like it's never been rocked. And now I'm living just for her and I won't ever stop, I never thought that it can happen to a guy like me. But now look at what you've done, you got me down on my knees!"

Keeping an eye on the band, the girl was far more entertained with watching the tourney throw themselves fully into the song. Even Jay and Carlos were fully into it and she couldn't help but smile.

"Because my love for you is Ridiculous. I never knew—"

"Who knew?"

"That it can be like this. My love for you is Ridiculous. My love is R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S!"

"R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S!"

She was heavily impressed by Prince breaking down into cheer spelling with his entire body of the word "ridiculous" and she was doubly so when the entire tourney team and cheer squad mimicked him a half-beat later.

"It's..."

"RIDICULOUS!"

"Just..."

"RIDICULOUS!"

"And I would give my kingdom for just one kiss!"

Everyone was moving to the music, the band was carrying on smoothly and Irene couldn't but think: _This is why I love Auradon_.

"Well did I mention...That I'm in love with you. And did I mention-There's nothing I can do. And did I happen to say-I dream of you every day? But let me shout it out loud, if that's okay, hey hey…If that's okay."

She loved that one person could break out into song and there would be no judgement or hesitation and that everyone would jump in, like now, and help the prince proclaim his love.

"I gotta know which way to go, c'mon gimme a sign. You gotta show me that you're only ever gonna be mine. Don't want to go another minute even without you. 'Cause if your heart just isn't in it, I don't know what I'd do. Because my love for you is Ridiculous. I never knew—"

"Who knew?" chorused the team

"That it can be like this. My love for you is Ridiculous. My love is R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S!"

"R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S!"

"It's..."

"RIDICULOUS!"

"Just..."

"RIDICULOUS!"

"And I would give my kingdom for just one kiss. C'mon now!"

The words trailed off as the team broke down in a dancing segment. The band and crowd continued to carry the tune, still swaying with the beat. It was too fun to watch everyone move and dance. She gasped in surprise as Carlos dropped down into a modified split, rising back to his feet effortlessly. If that wasn't enough, Prince Ben then proceeded to _remove his jersey_ and then threw it out into the crowd where Mal caught it.

"Because my love for you is Ridiculous. I never knew—"

"Who knew?"

The entire field of people was now moving toward the crowd as Prince Ben leapt onto the horse mascot. The two people in the costume caught him without any trouble as Jane in the knight costume stayed ahead of them. Carlos was in the lead and he made eye contact with Irene for a moment and both of their smiles widened.

"That it can be like this. My love for you is Ridiculous. My love is R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S!"

Irene clapped her hands over her mouth as the male cheerleaders set the prince up in a basket toss, launching him up and into the crowd. The just bodily threw their future King, _into the air_ , and fortunately, the crowd caught him without any trouble. Even if he was very close to landing in the band section where the ending result would have been not as nice.

"R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S!"

"It's..." The prince was now body surfing on the hands of the crowd as they moved him toward Mal, a silly grin on his face.

"RIDICULOUS!"

"Just..." Mal seemed to notice his closing distance and tried to move away but Evie kept her still and turned her to face Ben, smiling as well for her friend.

"RIDICULOUS!"

Ben was placed on his feet again, breathless as he stood before the girl he publicly declared his love for in front of the entire school.

"And I would give my kingdom for just one kiss. C'mon now!"

The band gave the last lingering notes and Irene brought her hands up to end the song, everyone looking over the focused pair. She did notice that Carlos was now closer to band section and she couldn't keep the smile off her face.

Ben wrapped his arm around her, the girl holding his jersey as a type of shield.

"I love you, Mal! Did I mention that?"

The moment came to an abrupt halt when Audrey snatched the microphone from the prince.

"Chad's my boyfriend now!" she announced to the school. "And I'm going to the coronation with him. So I don't need your pity date."

The crowd collectively cringed as Audrey made her point crystal clear and she kissed Chad fully on the mouth.

Prince Ben didn't seem too bothered as he took the microphone back, still grinning at Mal.

"Mal! Will you go to the coronation with me?"

She leaned into the microphone. "Yes!"

"She said yes!" said Ben, as if they hadn't just heard her. The crowd broke out in cheering regardless.

Irene was thrilled with the change as she clapped and cheered. She had never seen Ben look at Audrey in the way that he looked at Mal in those moments. It made her heart happy for him. They would be good for each other, in her opinion. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wished that maybe someday someone would look at her like that. Well, they would have to first notice her, she supposed.

The announcer's voice rang out again. "What a day for the Auradon Knights, finally winning back the trophy after so many years. And there he is. Jay, the most valuable player!"

Carlos turned around to face the crowd again as the taller members of the team lifted Jay onto their shoulders, his friend holding the trophy up for everyone to see. He spotted Irene immediately and saw her cheering and clapping with everyone else. His grin widened as he cheered with his teammates because it felt like she was looking right at him. And that alone made the moment even better as he smiled right back at her.

* * *

 **REVIEW! I'm sorry, I know its been forever, school and work have been kicking my butt like always, boo.**

 **So yes! There's singing and dancing to enjoy! The big game, song and dance number, more subtle moments for Irene/Carlos but don't worry, next chapter they actually get to hang out together!**

 **Your thoughts would be lovely as always and I hope you enjoyed!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Ink & Chocolate**

 **Chapter Six**

* * *

It wasn't until the next day in History of Pirates when she caught sight of any villain from the Isle, and even then she had been practically asleep on her book when one approached her. Carlos set his bag down and took the open seat next to her, startling her awake by the sudden sound and she sat up quickly.

"Didn't mean to scare you," he laughed. "You're not usually asleep though."

"I was just…" Her words were interrupted by a yawn, making her eyes water, "…resting my eyes…"

He raised a disbelieving brow and she gave a little shrug, sheepish. The truth was that she had stayed up late in the auditorium working on her music piece. Well, pieces. She was helping with the coordination of the Family Day opening performance and she wanted to work on her original project as well. Simply put, one hour turned into three which then turned to five and it ended with her falling asleep on the auditorium stage rather than her own bed. She was a tad tired.

"Oh yeah, just resting your eyes," he teased. She crinkled her nose at him in good humor as she set up her notes and book for the class while the other students trickled in.

"Oh!" she remembered. "I didn't have the chance to tell you yet, but great job with the game yesterday!"

His cheeks pinked and he gave a smile at the praise, quickly looking down at his book to hide his face for a second. "Thanks—I mean, I was only playing for a minute. Jay did all of the work, really."

"It was a team effort," she clarified, "but that move you did with your shield? Sending the ball up rather than away? That was really clever of you. Very dramatic."

Carlos cleared his throat as he looked away. Glancing down and he noticed her schoolbag that was set on the floor and that it was wriggling slightly.

Pongo's nose peeked out and the bag started to move more as her tail wagged in recognition of Carlos and her entire head popped so she could see him. Her little pink tongue lolled out as she looked up at him, her excitement obvious. The boy looked from the pup to the girl who was now pink with her own embarrassment.

"Well I couldn't just leave her in my room," defended Irene. "Besides she's very well behaved."

"I didn't know that you could bring pets to class," said Carlos. His voice turned hopeful. "Could I bring Dude with me?"

"I know we're not supposed to. Technically," she paused for a moment, "but I bet if you asked Fairy Godmother she might make an exception for you."

"For me? Why would she-?"

His question was interrupted when Pongo started to move more, looking between the two students and making a soft sound in her throat, trying to speak and still be quiet.

" _Cute boy! Irene, it's the cute boy!"_ Pongo informed her owner excitedly. Irene still had the translator in place over her ear and turned bright red at the pup's words.

"Yes, I know who it is. Hush now, you have to be quiet for just a little longer," whispered Irene, gently covering the puppy with the cover of her bag. Not that Carlos could understand the dog, thankfully.

"Did you just…understand her?" asked Carlos, his voice filled with awe. Irene moved her head to the side and tapped the black device that was hooked around her ear.

"This allows me to understand her, and other animals for that matter," she explained. "For some reason, they can already understand us, which makes it all rather one sided—"

Her words died in her throat as Carlos reached out and turned her head to the side, his fingertips just barely touching the back of her neck and under her jaw so to turn. Her blush burned bright red at the contact and she remained absolutely still.

"That is _fascinating_ ," he said. His brown eyes found hers, bright with excitement. "Did you make this?"

"N-no, Ben actually gave it—"

The class quieted as Miss Wendy Darling entered the room and Carlos quickly withdrew his hands, face darkening with a blush as he realized what he was doing. The two kept their gazes focused on their own books for the first good moments of class. When their teacher turned to face the chalkboard, Irene leaned toward him and whispered,

"I could show you how it works, after class—if you'd like?"

"Yes!" the barely whispered word was out of his mouth before she had finished asking, the boy already looking at her with excitement.

She smiled and looked back at the board, her face still warm.

Class seemed to drag on forever but finally the bell rang out and the two students were the first to leave. They had to hurry before the rest of the students filled the hall and it became too crowded to move quickly. With a puppy in her bag and her own heeled shoes, Irene couldn't move as quickly as Carlos and started to fall behind. The boy noticed her slowing and without any hesitation, grabbed her hand and held on tightly as they made their way outside. She didn't even have the chance to be properly flustered, so she simply smiled to herself and squeezed his hand in return.

The sun was sweet relief against her skin as they made their way across the school grounds. The chatter and bustle of the school faded when they created some distance and started to slow down. Hands still holding each other, her own heartbeat pounded within her chest but for once, she didn't shy away from the contact. Instead, she allowed herself to enjoy the connection, the feeling of the villain's fingers wrapped around her own, the leather material from the glove against her skin, because she knew that it would only last for a moment. Soon, he would realize their situation and let go of her. It was only a reflex that he had grabbed her since she had been so much slower than him. That didn't mean it meant anything and why would it? She was the daughter of his mother's enemy, a living, breathing reminder of what caused him to grow up on the isle.

She gave a little shake of her head to dislodge the dreary thought. Now wasn't the time.

They slowed down and she realized that he had led them to the edge of the woods by the tourney field. He looked from side to side to make sure the coast was clear and then looked over his shoulder at her and gave a bright smile. The grin was infectious because she was smiling just as much, her cheeks warm.

"Sorry, I just didn't know if the tech was something that needed to be kept a secret," he apologized. "Whenever I'm working on something I usually hide up in my treehouse so that no one knows what I'm up to."

"You have a treehouse?" she asked. She giggled as the image of the boy hiding out came to her mind easily. His own face colored slightly and he looked a bit sheepish, but she squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I didn't realize you were so interested in technology?"

"It's what I'm best at actually," he grinned.

He pulled up a seat at the base of a tree and he should have let go of her hand when he did so, but he didn't. Her brown eyes widened in surprise when his hand merely shifted so to act as support as she hesitantly copied him. Once she was sitting beside him, her skirt properly tucked underneath her, she noticed that her bag was wriggling and she had to let go of his hand so to help free Pongo. The puppy gave a shake of her head that sent her ears flapping before bounding toward the two students.

 _"Outside! Outside!"_ chirped Pongo, courtesy of the translator, as she jumped in and out of their laps. _"Now we can play outside!"_

"Yes, you're free to run around now," laughed Irene. Pongo gave another happy bark before running off to blow off some energy, knowing to stay where she could be seen. Once the little dog began to roll in the grass, the girl reached up to remove the ear piece.

"Here you go."

Their fingers brushed again and she was pleased that she kept her blush under control. She never really realized how awkward she was when it came to any kind of physical contact until then. Her fellow students and friends weren't overly physical with casual embraces or anything of the sort, and then back home she was with her family and all of the animals and that was different. It was much simpler to be with animals and music.

Carlos took the device and slowly turned it over in his hands, studying it. Irene leaned back against the tree, having to turn her head to the side due to her hair being twisted back. She watched as the boy brought the technology up close and his eyes squint to see the finer aspects, making the freckles by the corner of his eyes crinkle. As he quietly worked, she looked to make sure Pongo was staying out of trouble and when her gaze returned, she noticed something odd.

While Carlos tended to wear shorts, his legs were hardly ever noticeable due to the extra layer of some type of black knee pads he wore, in addition to tall socks which left little skin visible. She hadn't noticed, and maybe never would have if she hadn't been sitting next to him with their legs outstretched and the lighting was just right, that there was a pearly fissure that reached up past the top of his sock.

A scar.

"Carlos?" she tentatively called.

"Hm?"

She bit her bottom lip for a moment before asking. Was it really her place? It wasn't any of her business, to be perfectly honest, but she found the words leaving her lips anyway.

"What happened to your leg?"

Immediately, his body went rigid and she saw the color leave his face and his freckles stood out strikingly against his new pallor. She began to panic, knowing that she had crossed some sort of line.

"I'm sorry—! You don't have to explain anything," she quickly reassured. Her own anxiety was flaring to life with renewed vigor and she felt awfully embarrassed. "It's none of my business—I shouldn't have asked—I'm so sorry…!"

She had made to get up, her face burning with the shame of her question. She should've just kept her mouth shut. It was mortifying to see him react like that and the fact that it was due to her words made her feel nauseated with guilt.

He grabbed her hand again before she could even get to her feet, keeping her in place. With wide eyes, she looked to him in surprise. At first, he wouldn't look at her, but after a moment of bated breath, he turned toward her and she could see the determination. The set of his jaw, the newfound steel to his eyes, like he was preparing for a fight of some sort.

"It's okay. I'll tell you."

Slowly, she returned fully to her spot against the tree and quietly waited. The air was thick with apprehension but she didn't make a sound, giving him as much time as he needed. He was still holding her hand, she couldn't help but notice. His grip was very tight and she could feel him shaking. She didn't dare try to reclaim her hand and held his just as tightly in return. She wouldn't let go, not until he was ready for her to.

"I'll tell you everything," he promised.

And he did. He told her everything.

He told her how life was on the Isle of the Lost. It was constricted, dirty, boring, and desperate. Thieving was the norm and if you didn't learn how to take you were stolen from. It was unhygienic and malnourished as their main food income was primarily the leftovers from Auradon. There was a school system that took place at Dragon Hall and it was the part that Carlos liked best. He was a self-proclaimed nerd as he enjoyed learning, science, and technology, so school was his favorite environment. It was where he could shine since he wasn't very good at any of the physical aspects of life on the isle, his best bet was to outsmart his opponents. He had even made a hole in the barrier once in attempt to try and get a different television channel (they were only allowed a few channels that were approved and monitored by Auradon). The accidental breach in the barrier allowed a sliver of magic to return to the isle for a brief moment, which in turn led to his first adventure with Evie, Mal, and Jay and then sealed their friendship.

On the subject of friends, he didn't really have any before the three. There were Jace and Harry, sons of Jasper and Horace, but they were only around him due to his mother forcing them together so to act as his "minions" like their fathers were to her. Clearly, Carlos had no interest in having minions of any sort and as friends the two boys weren't near his intellect level or even interested in friendship with him in the first place. Though he did have a cat named Beelzebub, who was his own little sidekick, and that helped make it not so lonely for him.

It was when he began to talk about his mother that he started to struggle. Not the poor conditions he grew up in, the lack of real friends, or being properly challenged academically, it was when he talked about his _mother_ , the woman who should love him unconditionally, when he started to show signs of stress and apprehension. He was holding Irene's hand so tightly she thought she would bruise, but she didn't care as she held onto him too.

Cruella was true to her name, from the stories she heard from her parents and now from the woman's son. He was treated so _badly_ by her that it just broke her heart. He didn't have a bed or pillow, he slept on the floor in her dressing room. He had to look after and clean all of her fur coats (which just made Irene shudder at the thought of so many pelts). The woman had even plainly stated that she loved her furs more than him and referred to her car as "her baby". He meant nothing to her.

When the scar came up, he didn't tell the story as if it was dramatic, it was just a matter of fact and barely worth the effort. Since he slept in the dressing room that held all of his mother's beloved furs, he was also in the same room as all of the fur traps. He had been younger and he took one wrong step and in a second his leg was clamped within the teeth of a trap. All his mother was upset about was if he had gotten any blood on her furs, not the fact that her son was seriously hurt.

He meant _nothing_ to her. He was just her own personal minion.

And Carlos recalled the memory without any voice inflection, gaze straight ahead, the only tell that it upset him was that he seemed to pale even further.

She couldn't take it. She couldn't listen to it anymore. She couldn't hear one more word about how awful life was on the isle or his mother was to him. It was too much. Too sad, too unkind, too unfair.

Tears stinging her eyes, Irene ignored all of her reservations as she moved from her seat and onto her knees. Then, she reached out and wrapped her arms around the villain from the Isle of the Lost and pulled him to her. Only a brief moment passed before his arms circled around her and she could feel him hugging back tightly, his face buried in her shoulder. Nothing was said between the two and they quickly lost track of time as they stayed together.

After some time there was a small, muffled, "Thank you…"

* * *

 **REVIEW! Your thoughts would be lovely as always! Sorry about the long wait since school, work, graduation, moving, and moving again kind of interrupted everything. On another note, I'm back working at Disney! Which is why I extra wanted to update this sweet story! :D**

 **Next time: some of Carlos' thoughts/reflections on everything between him and Irene and it's time for the parents video chat! You better believe Irene somehow gets involved ;)**

 **Hope you all enjoyed!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ink & Chocolate**

 **Chapter Seven**

* * *

Life was odd for Carlos De Vil.

School in Auradon was fairly normal and his spirits lifted whenever he would make his way to his last class of the day, History of Pirates. It was the only class he had with Irene Radcliffe and while the subject was dull, she more than made up for it. He couldn't quite explain why she made the day better, but she just did. She was the only person at Auradon that made an effort to get to know him and that he would consider a friend. Except that friend didn't seem like the right word for her. Friends didn't make his stomach uneasy in a nerve racking yet nice way. He found himself studying her more than the chalkboard. For instance, he knew that when the sunlight would filter in the room, some strands of her red hair would then seem golden in the light. She typically wore it tied back and away from her face, a braid over the top and then the rest twisted back. He had yet to see her hair down and he found himself curious about the length. He knew that her eyes were a particular shade of brown that were so light they tended to look like amber in the sunlight as well. The sun did seem to be prominent in that class so maybe that was why he noticed the subtle differences.

Except, it wasn't only that. He noticed that he simply liked to be near her. While most days they did talk throughout class, whispering back and forth to each other, there were days where they couldn't get away with it and he found himself just as content. He liked that she was clever and could keep up with him intellectually, which made sense since she was there on an academic scholarship. He liked that she was kind and wasn't rude to him even with his villain status. He liked that she was good with animals and that she took the time to patiently every one of his dog questions.

In short, he liked a lot of things about her.

So when they hurried out of class one day, he didn't have to think twice about reaching for her hand when he started to be too fast. They stayed together as they made their way out of the school building and he was very aware of the fact that she was squeezing his hand in return. He didn't look back at her as he led the way because he didn't want to have to explain why he was holding her hand and hadn't let go yet. Even when he found a spot far enough away from any prying eyes, he still held her hand. He moved to take a seat and simply adjusted his hand so that it acted as support for her to sit beside him. His cheeks betrayed his blush and he did his best to avoid her gaze, knowing full well that it would only cause the color to deepen. She had that effect on him and, to be perfectly honest, he didn't really mind.

Their little after class meeting had been going well, he thought. Pongo was running about and playing, he was busy studying the translator tech, and he thought that the girl was going to doze off, since she had been so tired before class. Everything was calm and nicely balanced. His peace, however, vanished instantly when she softly asked about his scar.

His heart wanted to stop at the mention of the ugly marring. Normally, his clothing was arranged so to hide it completely but something moved and he didn't know her vision was so sharp. The memory alone was enough to make him sick. The phantom sound of the metal trap snapping shut still rang in his ears and he could practically taste the panic and fear he felt in that moment. His stomach rolled at the recollection and he could feel the color drain away from his face. Cold dread trickled through his veins, locking him in place.

 _Walking through the dark in Hell Hall wasn't a problem for him. He did so every night since they didn't have enough candles to keep the corridors properly lit and he knew the path like the back of his hand. Even if they did, his mother would never want burning candles anywhere near her precious furs for fear of catching fire or dripping wax onto the material._

 _He had slipped back inside very late that night, having been up in his treehouse working on his latest device. The tech was his new project and he tended to lose track of time when he was absorbed in his work. Yawning widely, he shuffled toward what could be referred to as his room. Technically, it was his mother's dressing room and he had found a battered, abandoned mattress and brought it inside. It was tucked away into the far corner so to stay out of the way. The mattress was lumpy and uncomfortable, but it was particularly lumpy in one part and if he didn't think too hard about it, he could pretend that it was a pillow_

 _Hell Hall was quiet with sleep and he made his way through the corridor that would connect to the full room. Fur coats brushed against his shoulders as he walked, the silence a welcomed comfort. Suddenly, there was the sound of something shifting and he froze in place. Eyes wide, his heart rate started to pick up. Did his mother hear him? Pulse fluttering, he hurried along, quickening his stride. He had barely taken two steps when he heard the unquestionable sound of furs being pushed to the side. Mother. Startled, he flinched to the side and stepped out of his carefully memorized route. He knew better than to move off the path. He knew better._

 _The sound of metal cut through the air before he had the chance and he heard the sound of the trap locking into place before he felt the pain. A scream tore itself from his throat and at first he didn't even understand that it was his own voice ringing in his ears. On top of the blinding pain, he was completely alone. His mother didn't come running, there wasn't even Jace or Harry nearby and as unhelpful as they typically were, they could've gone for help at least._

 _No, it was when he had somehow quieted down in a quivering heap that his mother finally stalked into the room, voice high and shrill about all the noise he had been making. When she saw what had happened, the sight of her son crumpled on the floor and bleeding, her first instinct wasn't to help her child. It was to make sure nothing had happened to her beloved fur coats. Only when the coats were deemed all right did she release the trap, which hurt nearly as badly, having the sharp teeth ripped out of his leg._

 _She loved the furs more than him. She didn't have an ounce of concern for him, let alone love._

Immediately, Irene began to apologize, her words stumbling over each other in her hurry to excuse her question. When she started to move away, his panic spiked at the thought of her leaving and he snatched her hand quickly. The ginger haired girl froze, wide brown eyes watching him apprehensively. Heart pounding hard within his chest, it took him a moment to gather his wits and slowly lifted his head. The lighting was just right and her eyes had taken on that amber color as she held his gaze. He couldn't explain why the urge to tell her everything swelled up within him. She asked for only one explanation and he found himself wanting to tell her everything. Every little thing about the isle, about his life, about Hell Hall, he wanted to tell her. He wanted her to know.

The words spilled out of his mouth without rhyme or reason. Story after story came pouring out of him in no specific order, coupled with random facts and tidbits of information about isle life. As he spoke, he could feel his body calming down with each recollection. Irene remained perfectly silent throughout his entire confession, never once interrupting him. Also, she never let go of his hand, no matter how tightly he clutched it and he knew it must have hurt, but she didn't so much as flinch.

When he finally felt as if he said all that he could, he dared to glance at the girl. Her entire body seemed to be coiled tight and her eyes were bright with unshed tears. Panic bloomed again with his chest. It wasn't his intention to upset her, he only meant to confide in her. She moved before he could say anything and the next thing he knew, he felt her arms wrap around him. Nose buried in her shoulder, the material of her sweater soft against his skin, it was all too easy to fold into her embrace.

Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her as close as he could, trying to memorize every single aspect of the hug. Who knows when it would happen again? With their true mission of stealing Fairy Godmother's wand, nothing in Auradon could be guaranteed.

Not even Irene.

"Carlos."

The white haired boy was pulled out of his daydream to find himself sitting in the library with Evie. The blunette had wanted to study Chemistry during their shared free period before Remedial Goodness 101 with Fairy Godmother. As soon as he opened up his own book to study, his mind had wandered off completely. Dude hadn't even moved in his lap, laying perfectly still like the good dog he was.

"Sorry, Evie. What did you say?" he asked, rubbing his eyes to try and wake himself up. That was new, he never had trouble studying before. The Evil Queen's daughter gave him a soft smile.

"What's on your mind? I don't think I've ever seen you so distracted," she said. "Is something bothering you?"

"Well, no. Everything's fine," he answered. Technically, nothing was wrong. Life was nice in Auradon and he had no reason to complain.

"Then is something "not" bothering you?" giggled Evie. He raised a confused brow at his first friend. What was she getting at?

"Should something be bothering me? What do you know, Blue?" he asked, playfully teasing her. Her lips pouted for only a moment at the nickname but soon she was smiling to herself, casually turning the page in her text.

"I've noticed that you spend a lot of time with Irene Radcliffe."

Instantly, his face warmed at the name and the girl smiled in victory. "See? You're not so difficult to read."

He busied himself with turning the pages in his own book, the tops of his cheeks still hot. "Do the others…?"

"No," she answered. "Mal and Jay have been too busy to really notice, I think."

"And," he paused to swallow thickly, "and what do you think?"

"I think it's sweet," she answered simply. She closed her book and slid it into her bag as she got to her feet. "We should head to class. Wouldn't want to be turned into a pumpkin or something," she teased.

Relieved, Carlos gave a smile and packed up his things as well before picking up Dude. Evie was always like that. Just a little further ahead than everyone else in the game.

They made their way to the designated classroom in the library. As it wasn't a real class, Fairy Godmother had to obtain a room for their studying and the library provided the right amount of space as well as being an easy place to reach the Headmistress in case she was needed. Carlos took his usual spot in the aisle seat next to Jay while Evie took her spot on the far side beside Mal. The room was slightly different that day as there was a large television screen on a rolling stand at the front of the room blocking the chalkboard. Were they going to watch some kind of program?

"Children, excuse me," began Fairy Godmother. The fairy was in her usual lavender dress as she made her way toward the students. She was extra chipper and her smile seemed brighter than usual. Carlos wondered what she was up to, maybe there was an activity?

"Um, as you know, this Sunday is Family Day here at Auradon Prep. And because your parents can't be here due to, um, distance," she gave a small nervous laugh at that point. "We've arranged for a special treat!"

As she made her way back to the screen, the four students looked at each other in confusion. What about their parents? What kind of treat? Carlos found himself holding onto the small dog tighter as they waited, his apprehension growing.

Fairy Godmother pressed a button and Maleficent's face filled the screen, making the four flinch.

"I don't see anything, nor do I hear," came Maleficent's voice. The evil fairy moved back and they were able to see that all of their parents had gathered for the video call: Jafar, the Evil Queen, and Cruella.

Carlos felt the bottom of his stomach drop at the sight of his mother. Was it sad to say that he had forgotten some aspects of his own mother? That her hair was so wiry, her cheeks so sharp, and of course, the stuffed dog that was also referred to as "baby" just like her car.

"Kids!" whispered Fairy Godmother, waving them over. The four shared a worried look before stiffly getting up from their desks.

"Is it—is—"

"Press enter," suggested Jafar.

"Can I please see a remote?" huffed Maleficent. The Evil Queen handed one over as she tried to turn on the video chat from their side. "Is this thing on? Ugh, it's broken! I hate electronic equip—Oh!"

Their screen must have finally opened because the Evil Queen was quick to wave at her daughter. "Evie, it's mommy! Oh! Look how beautiful," the queen seem to swell with pride. "You know what they say, the poison apple doesn't fall far from the tree!"

"Don't you mean the weeds?" snipped Maleficent.

Carlos visibly cringed when his mother spoke up next, her voice sharp in his ears.

"Oh! Who's the old bat?"

Mal was the first to speak up, her words coming through a forced smile to try and convey to the parents that they should behave. " _This_ is Fairy Godmother."

They didn't seem impressed, Maleficent smirking at the good fairy. "Still doing tricks with eggplants?"

The original villains laughed loudly at the remark and Fairy Godmother bristled immediately.

"I turned a pumpkin into a beautiful carriage!"

Maleficent scoffed. "You really couldn't give Cinderella till one A.M? I mean, really." The parents were all snickering. "What, the hamsters had to be back on their little wheels?"

"They were mice!" defended Fairy Godmother as Maleficent and the Evil Queen shared a fist bump. "They were not—They were mice!"

Mal quietly reassured their teacher and she hurried to stand off to the side, cheeks pink from frustration. The girl then stood front and center while her friends flanked her and they all faced their parents. Carlos found himself holding onto Dude tightly as they stood before their parents and their inevitable judgement.

"Hi, mom," greeted Mal pleasantly enough.

Maleficent's humor fell away instantly. "Mal! I m-m-" The Evil Queen gave her a sharp tap. "Miss you!"

Well that felt sincere.

"You children are never far from our thoughts!" chimed Jafar, flashing a wide smile. Carlos noticed that Jay's posture was stiff as well, his jaw clenched tightly.

"I got it," hissed Maleficent. She turned her attention back to her daughter. "How long must mommy wait to see you?"

"Um, there's a big coronation coming up," Mal said carefully. She couldn't say too much with Fairy Godmother there plus they didn't have a concrete plan regarding the wand. The longer they stalled, the longer they could stay in Auradon. "I think sometime probably after…that."

"When?" she insisted.

The words couldn't be out of Mal's mouth faster at the command, a knee-jerk reaction to her mother's orders. "Friday, 10 a.m."

"You sure I can't see you before that?" she asked. "I don't know what I'll do if I don't get my hands on that magic wan—"

The Evil Queen quickly tapped the back on her horns to stop her from saying the wrong thing. "You…you little nugget that I love so much!" she recovered.

He could hear the false smile as Mal spoke as she was standing a step in front of them and Carlos was doing his best to stay hidden behind her and Jay. Maybe if he was lucky, he would be ignored, like always.

"Yes, I completely understand, mother."

Then Cruella was up close to the screen and Carlos flinched, reading himself for his mother's voice.

"Carlos, is that a dog?" she asked, eyes brightening. Dude whimpered and turned away from the screen and Carlos did his best to keep his face clear of emotions. His mother didn't care that he didn't react, turning to the stuffed dog that was always perched on her shoulder.

"Oh, yes, yes, baby, I do understand. It would make the perfect size for earmuffs," she cackled as she squeaked the toy dog.

Courage flared to life within him and he stepped forward toward the screen.

"He's the perfect size for a pet," he corrected sternly.

"Oh?"

"This dog loves me, and I love him," he told her. The words wouldn't stop. "And FYI, your dog is stuffed! So give it a rest!"

He felt Jay grab his shoulder and pull him back in line with the other. His moment of triumph of standing up to his mother was swiftly interrupted. Instead of being properly cowed by his outburst, she leaned in toward the screen again, looking past him.

"Anita, darling! Is that you?"

Blinking in confusion, Carlos slowly turned around to see that Irene was standing in the center aisle of the classroom. She was wearing a light green blouse and a brown skirt, her bag secured across her body and she was holding paperwork in her hands. She must have resembled her mother very closely for his mother to make the mistake. He knew how much she obsessed over the Dalmatians and their furs. He didn't know how she would react to having the daughter of her nemesis standing before her.

Irene didn't say a word but her face was incredibly pale. Without a sound, she slowly moved closer. He wanted to grab her hand and run out of the room, to take her far away from his mother. Clearly, her intention was to deliver some papers to Fairy Godmother, but Cruella wasn't about to let her go.

"Step closer, dear. Let me see you."

Carlos' voice was soft as he tried to speak up again. "Leave her alone, mom."

"Quiet, Carlos!" she hushed, waving a red gloved hand. Her red lips widened into a smile, her eyes narrowing as the girl stepped forward.

Carlos tried to will her to leave but Irene didn't look at him as she stepped forward as instructed. She was standing as tall as she could and her body was coiled tight, her jaw set and brown eyes sharp.

"Oh, I recognize that face," tutted Cruella. "You're Roger Radcliffe's brat. I'd recognize that nasty look anywhere."

Carlos tensed and he could feel Dude begin to rumble with a low growl while his skin prickled in agitation.

"Her name's Irene," he snapped. Neither one of them turned to look at him as he stepped closer to her.

Irene didn't say anything but the papers in her hand started to crinkle due to her grip. Cruella's sneer gave way to a gasp when Pongo's head popped out from her bag. He thought his heart was going to stop as he saw his mother's face shadow with greed.

"A Dalmatian?" she muttered, her eyes darkening. Then she turned that look to her son and barked.

"Carlos, _grab it!_ "

The cold dread to follow his mother's command flashed through his entire body. Part of him wanted to do as she said due to the fear that was ingrained into him, but the other half of him knew that he couldn't do it. Not to mention that it was unreasonable since his mother was on the isle. Even if she wasn't far away and concealed by a magic barrier, he wouldn't do it.

He didn't get the chance to properly refuse to follow his mother's orders as the Evil Queen was quickly tugging Cruella back into her seat and Irene had turned on her heel. She dropped the papers for Fairy Godmother on the nearest desk and quickly walked out of the room. One hand on her bag with Pongo and he could see her shoulders shaking. Carlos made to go after her but he was jerked to a stop by Jay grabbing the back of his jacket, keeping him still. He knew very well why he couldn't go after her but that didn't make the want lessen any.

He couldn't seem to hear anything as the video call ended and they made their way out of the classroom. Evie asked what their parents would do if they failed and Mal tried to reassure them but then confirmed that they would be in deep trouble with their villain parents. While the terror for his mother ran deep, he was more concerned about the girl who just had the unfortunate chance of meeting Cruella De Vil.

Time seem to drag as he counted down until History of Pirates, their only shared class, and he rushed to the class and was the first one in attendance. Brown eyes were trained on the door as he waited for her to enter. Students entered one by one until the class was filled and Miss Wendy Darling entered. The teacher closed the door behind her and began to discuss the day's lesson plan.

His chest felt hollow as he looked to the empty chair beside him.

"Irene..."

* * *

 **Review! I'm hoping to have this story wrapped up by chapter 10! Your thoughts would be loved as always!**

 **Hope you enjoy!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Ink & Chocolate**

 **Chapter Eight**

* * *

She was so stupid.

The auditorium was empty as she sat on the stage. Pongo was out of the bag and Irene was holding the puppy close to her chest. Her body was still shaking and she was having a hard time trying to calm down.

 _"Irene, why are you crying?"_ asked Pongo in a concerned whine. She had given Carlos the translator for him to study and to use with Dude since she had a spare. _"Are you hurt? Should I get help?"_

"No…I'm not hurt," she said, fighting to keep her voice steady. "I just…need to take a little break is all…"

Even when she closed her eyes she could still see that woman's face. She didn't mean to freeze up under the stare of Cruella De Vil but she couldn't make her body work, let alone her voice. It wasn't as if she had a witty remark ready or anything of the sort, but she thought she could do more than just glare. But when Cruella saw Pongo, Irene could feel her heart drop to the floor as the woman's eyes darkened with greed.

 _"A Dalmatian…? Carlos, grab it!"_

And for a split second, she was thought he was going to do what she said.

She was so stupid.

She had managed to turn around and leave the room before she lost her composure completely. Moving on autopilot, she let her legs take her away from the library while she kept one hand firmly on the Dalmatian. All that she could think of was the horrors that Cruella had committed back in her parents' day. Taking all of the Dalmatians, hoarding them away in order to take their fur to make those coats. Some of the dogs she bought, but then there were the pups from Pongo and Perdita's litter that she simply stole away in the middle of the night solely because she wanted their pelts. Not the animals themselves, just their skins.

Thinking about how many puppies had been taken away from their homes or from their own chance at a normal life, broke her heart. Her chest ached at the thought of so many baby animals being thrown into such an unsafe and unhealthy conditions, torn away from their mothers or families that loved them. It went against everything she and her family believed in and worked hard for, keeping animals safe, happy, and loved, providing a home for them when others couldn't, taking in those who had been thrown aside. She cared so much that it physically hurt.

Time slipped away and she was only vaguely aware that she had missed the rest of her classes for the day. She could always ask Jane about any homework that was assigned so she didn't have to turn in any late work. Pongo suddenly wriggled out of her grasp and bounded across the stage.

"Pongo?" called Irene. "What're you doing?"

The spotted puppy took a running start and managed to scramble onto the piano's bench that was stationed on the far side of the stage. Once she had her footing, she reached out with a paw and hit one of the keys, causing a note to ring out. Pink tongue lolling, she was smiling to the girl and gave a small bark.

 _"Play music! It makes you feel better!"_

Giggling to herself, Irene wiped her cheeks dry before making her way over and taking a seat on the bench.

"Well, you're quite right," she agreed. "Plus we have work to do, don't we?"

Taking a deep breath, her fingers reached out over the keys and she set to work, little Pongo's tail wagging all the while.

* * *

"Okay, we all know what this looks like."

Mal's sketches covered the table, each one well-done and astonishingly accurate with detail. Fairy Godmother's wand was sketched out and sitting in the center of the papers. They were going over the plan that would take place on the day of Ben's coronation. It had to go perfectly or else they would be goners when they were banished back to the Isle and faced the wrath of the parents. The four villain legacies were gathered around and the tension in all of them was obvious.

"So it'll be up on the dais under the beast's spell jar and we'll be coming in from here," explained Mal, pointing to the entrance of the great hall. "I will be in the very front. You all will be up in the balcony."

"Okay," said Evie, her voice uncharacteristically soft.

Mal then looked to the shortest boy, calling his name, "Carlos?"

He sighed, reciting his role. "Okay, so I'll find our limo so we can break down the barrier and get back to the island with the wand." He even gave a nod, more so to convince himself rather than the others.

"Perfect," said Mal. "Evie?"

"Yeah?"

"You will use this to take out the driver," she said, holding up a perfume bottle filled with some type of blue liquid she created. "Two sprays and he'll be out like a light."

"Okay."

Mal was trying hard to keep on a smile to help get their spirits up but nothing seemed to be working. Jay hadn't said a word, Evie was somber, and Carlos just felt sick to his stomach. None of them wanted to steal the wand and leave Auradon. Uneasy silence filled the room as they nervously looked to each other.

The plan was simple, straight forward and completely possible, and yet they didn't want to do it.

Jay was the first to return to his bed, sitting on the covers and he picked up his tourney stick. Carlos followed suit and laid down on his bed where Dude was curled up, wearing his own little hoodie that Evie helped him make. The two girls were still at the table and Evie stopped as Mal returned to studying her spell book.

"M?" she called, stunned. "You want to break Ben's love spell?"

The purpled fairy paused for a moment before giving her reasons. "Yeah. You know, for after."

 _After?_ Carlos and Jay both looked up in concern as Evie sat down beside Maleficent's daughter. They hadn't thought about after the plan.

"I've just been thinking, you know, when the villains finally do invade Auradon, and begin to loot and kick everyone out of their castles and imprison their leaders and destroy all that is good and beautiful…"

Auburn hair and brown eyes came to mind and Carlos felt a sharp stab of guilt in his chest.

"…Ben being in love with me seemed a little extra…cruel."

A quiet pause passed before Mal closed the spell book and hurried out of the room, leaving the three behind for the evening.

Sleep didn't come for the De Vil that night. He tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep on the most comfortable bed he had ever known, still dressed in his clothes from the day. Dude gave a little whine in response, looking at him with sympathetic dark eyes. Rolling over once more, he reached onto the side table and picked up the translator ear piece that Irene had given him and slipped it over his ear as he turned back toward his furry friend.

 _"Can't sleep?"_

Carlos glanced over at Jay's bed to see the thief sitting up as well. It looked like no one was getting any rest. He didn't feel up to having to explain the device to his friend, so he shook his head for Dude to understand.

 _"It seems like everyone is very sad tonight. All five of you."_

Carlos furrowed his brow in confusion and Dude gave a small huff through his nose.

 _"You four and Irene. Pongo's human."_

He grimaced, the guilt gnawing at him again.

 _"Ben brought me to her when he found me. Did you know?"_ the dog asked, moving closer to the boy with a tired sigh. Carlos shook his head again, petting the brown dog's fur. Dude settled into him as he told a story. _"She also took care of Pongo when she was born. She was such a tiny puppy she shouldn't have lived but Irene wouldn't give up on her. Staying up all day and night making sure that she would eat and was warm enough as she slowly earned her strength. She and Ben did the same with me, staying with me as much as she could until I was better. So she won't give up on you—"_

Dude suddenly stopped and sniffed the air.

 _"Pongo's here."_ Confused, the boy then heard the sound of tiny paws scratching at the door.

Jay looked from the door to the boy and his friend gave a shrug, not knowing what was going on. He opened the door to see the small Dalmatian looking up at him. Closing the door behind him, he knelt down in the hall with Dude at his side.

 _"Cute boy!"_ Pongo chirped. She then paused as if thinking. _"Carlos!"_

"Yes?" he answered, still lost. "What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Irene?"

Even saying her name made his guilt flare up but he managed to keep his composure well enough. The puppy gave a small whine at her human's name.

 _"Irene's sad, cute boy,"_ she explained. _"Will you come make her happy? I don't like it when she falls asleep sad…"_

"It's…" he paused, having to start over. "It's late, Pongo, and I can't go to the girl's dorm at this hour…"

She seemed to perk up at his words. _"Oh! Irene's not in her room, cute boy! She's making music!"_

His brow furrowed in confusion. She wasn't in her dormitory?

Dude seemed to sense his lack of understanding and gave another sigh. _"She means that Irene is in the auditorium. And Pongo, his name is Carlos."_

 _"Right! Carlos!"_

"The auditorium? At this hour?" asked Carlos, checking his watch.

Without another word and before he even knew it, he was making his way down the hall with the two dogs on his heel.

* * *

Pongo led the way, taking a path that hid them in the deepest shadows so to avoid the risk of being spotted. She also explained that Irene would sneak out to practice and Pongo would go with her during the times that she would slip away to visit her favorite human at school. The girl and the dog seemed to be troublemakers in their own ways, one leaving the dorms in the middle of the night and the other going against protocol and coming to school.

She showed the boy the unlocked door and the three cautiously made their way inside, the halls dark. Pongo and Dude's feet made small sounds on the tile and they crept into the main room. It was still dark throughout the theater with the only light source coming from the left side of the stage. Carlos felt his entire body stiffen at the sight of her sitting at the piano, but his feet continued to bring him closer. Obviously, she hadn't noticed them as she focused on her sheet music, fingers hovering over the keys.

The boy did freeze entirely when she started to play and her voice filled the room.

"Why you standing over there? Acting like you just don't care, we gon' make our own kind of music." A flip of paper. "We might come from different worlds, might not be your kind of girl. I just want to let go and lose it."

Pongo had no qualms about making her way up the steps and she laid down so she could look up and watch her human. Irene smiled at her puppy and continued singing.

"We are lost and found, so let's go turn the beat around and maybe find a brand new sound. Let's turn it up right now." She was moving her body along with the music, smiling to herself. "Because the night is young, and it's just begun. Let's get it started and go til the sun comes up. The night is young, the night is young, the night is young."

Her hair was free from the usual twist and he could see that it spilled down her back. She seemed to glow from within as she sang, her ink stained fingers dancing across the black and white keys.

"Dance together, dance alone. Let it out and let it show. Changing colors under the stroll ride. I just wanna have some fun, let my worries come undone. Right here, right now, it's feeling so right."

Carlos stepped closer to the stage, gaze locked on her. She was oblivious to him as he dared to approach her. He knew that Auradon was known for their music and songs, and he knew from experience after participating in Prince Ben's number after the tourney match. Only this was different than Ben's. While his managed to convey emotion due to the scale of the event, high from the thrill of winning and the love spell, Irene's music was accomplishing the same feat. Even though it was only the piano being played, he could picture the music being expanded, enhanced by other instruments. Her voice was easy on his ears and he could feel it down to his bones, and he thought only terror could do such a thing. Soon, he was standing on the stage as well.

"We are lost and found, so let's turn the beat around, and maybe find a brand new sound. Let's turn it up right now—"

The music faltered and came to a halt when she finally noticed him. Her face colored in embarrassment, brown eyes wide.

"C-Carlos?" she stuttered. "What're you doing here?" In an attempt to busy herself, she looked away and worked on twisting her hair in order to pin it up again. Steeling his nerves, he moved to her side of the piano and sat on the bench with her. Her eyes remained round with surprise as she watched him apprehensively. Guilt clawed at him furiously with that look. As if she was worried that he would do something like his mother.

"Irene…"

… _and you're not her…I have a good feeling about you…_ She had said that about him, the son of the villainess that tormented her family. That he was nothing like his mother, Cruella. She had said that to him personally and she had no reason to, in fact, she had the most cause to stay away. That didn't stop her from reaching out to him, answering any and all of his questions, being kind to him and the others, from being his friend.

Courage blazed to life within him again. Reaching out, he grasped her hands and gently lowered them, allowing the yards of glimmering hair to cascade down her back once more. He lifted his head and met her gaze as evenly as he could, determined to make things right.

"Irene, I'm sorry," he apologized with the utmost sincerity. She seemed taken aback by his words.

"Carlos, you don't need to apologize to me—"

"Yes, I do," he insisted, holding her hands tighter. "I'm sorry for what happened with my mother. I'm sorry you had to experience that. I'm sorry I couldn't stop her or take you away from her. I'm sorry for everything she did against your family. Irene, _I'm sorry._ "

The silence was delicately suspended in the air.

"Carlos," she said softly, leaning in toward him. "It's not your fault. Any of it."

"Yes, it is—"

"—Not," she interrupted. She gave a small smile in reassurance. "I'm sorry for running out like that. I just needed to…collect myself." She laughed a little at her own comment. "I tend to hide away in here since music makes me feel better."

Finally, the guilt was abating somewhat. Not entirely of course, but it was becoming easier to breathe, some tightness leaving his chest. He looked from her to the piano and back to her again, curious.

"So…it really makes you feel better?" he asked slowly.

This time she gave him an honest smile and his cheeks warmed at the sight, his shoulders relaxing now. She adjusted so that she was sitting properly on the bench and straightened the sheet music before shyly looking over at him.

"Here." Next, she was taking his hands and placing them on top of her own, their arms partially laced which brought their bodies closer. Face hot with a blush, Carlos watched as his fingers moved when hers did, the notes coming from the piano, almost as if he was playing.

"My dad taught me how to play like this at first," she explained. Her gaze was kept forward on the music, occasionally glancing down at their hands. "We'd play like this until I was big enough to reach the keys on my own."

They played for a moment in silence. After a few bars, he recognized it as the song she had been playing earlier. He could hear her humming along and soon, her voice gradually filled the auditorium again.

"And I wish that it would, never end. I wish the song could play and play. Be who you wanna be, and then, just let them rhythm take you far…"

He could see her smiling again as she played, her previous embarrassment melting away as their hands moved. A smile of his own was beginning to pull at his mouth, her energy contagious.

"Because the night is young and it's just begun. Let's get it started, get it started, and go 'til the sun comes up…"

Unfortunately, a bolt of terror and sadness flashed through him as he recalled Mal's forlorn words from earlier about when the villains would take over Auradon.

"… _and destroy all that is good and beautiful…"_

The music continued to play as he looked, unabashed, at the girl beside him. Long hair finally free, eyes bright with happiness, she was the definition of good and beautiful to him. The lyrics were still being sung but he had to take the moment while he had it. Who knew if it would ever happen again? After the coronation, she wouldn't want anything to do with him. Not that he would hold it against her. It was a very evil thing they were about to do. The worst kind of betrayal.

Slowly, he pulled his hands away from hers and the music came to a stop as she turned toward him in confusion. Before she could properly question him, his hands curved at her jaw gently and he closed the space between them. Even though it warmed him from head to toe, it was a selfish act. It was selfish of him to take a kiss from her. What made the stolen gesture even more bittersweet was that Irene Radcliffe was kissing him back.

He really was rotten to the core.

* * *

 **REVIEW! Your thoughts would be much loved as always! Whew, I'm so excited to be getting these chapters out for you all! Like I said, I think I'll have it nicely wrapped by chapter 10, and I have tomorrow off so I plan on working on this all day!**

 **The song was: Night Is Young by China Anne McClain, which is from the Descendants soundtrack (though not a piano only version, unfortunately).**

 **Next time: It's Parents' Day!**

 **I hope you all enjoy!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ink & Chocolate**

 **Chapter Nine**

* * *

Auradon Prep's courtyard was brightly spotted with vivid color from all of the guests in attendance for Family Day. White linens clothed the tables, the food was pristinely placed and positioned for easy access as students and their families mingled. Irene had been up early to help with the set up as well as last minute rehearsal for the acapella number. She barely made it out the door in time, more than usual since she still hadn't found her watch from awhile back, and she had planned on nicely doing her hair for the visit but she ran out of time and settled for her usual braid and twist. It wasn't as if her father was expecting anything fancy. She'd put forth real effort for the coronation, she promised herself.

It was fun to help get the event together. Having something to do constantly and putting together a lovely image in the process was fun work for her. She was continually going back and forth between her task and Prince Ben who was essentially directing everything. The Prince would consult with her over the table placement or discuss the acapella arrangement with her to see if anything needed to be altered. It wasn't out of the ordinary for Ben to reference with her over something. As she was Audrey's roommate, he saw her often and they shared classes together and they got along rather well. Maybe in a different time she would have fallen in love with the Beast's son, but she only loved him as a friend and as her soon-to-be King and the relationship suited the both of them just fine.

Due to their friendship, his own good nature, and Irene's inability to turn down a task, Ben always knew how to involve her in events she originally would not exactly participate in. Such as, giving the new students from the Isle of the Lost a tour on their first day at Auradon, or in the most recent case: actively participate in the acapella production. She was invited to the production as a type of director, to make sure everything was on pitch and in order. Ben had asked, more than once, for her to sing in it as well. Audrey, his girlfriend at the time, of course tried to talk him out of recruiting her for the song. That didn't dampen his resolve and Irene folded, agreeing to sing.

So when it came time to perform the song on Family Day, Irene was wearing a pale green dress, standing at the back of the center formation, and smiling brightly to the crowd.

"Ma chere, mademoiselle," began Ben, making his way to the front. All eyes were on him and he didn't falter. "It is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure, that we welcome you tonight. And now, we invite you to relax. Let us pull up a chair, as the dining room proudly presents, your dinner…"

The well-known song then filled the courtyard.

"Be our guest, be our guest, put our service to the test. Tie a napkin 'round your neck, cherie, and we'll provide the rest."

"That's right," said Ben, throwing his cloth napkin to a couple of the female students that were standing off to the side. Irene tried to not roll her eyes as the girls overreacted and she continued to sing with the group.

"Soup du jour, hot hors d'oeuvres, why we only live to serve. Try the gray stuff, it's delicious. Don't believe me? Ask the dishes!"

The boys of the group then moved forward to interject their own take on the song.

"Yeah! They can sing, sing, sing, they can dance, dance, dance, after all, miss, this is France! And a dinner here is never, never second best! Come on, go on, unfold your menu, take a glance and then you'll be our guest, be our guest, be our…guest."

Everyone seemed to be enjoying the song, especially the King and Queen who were even dancing, to the girl's amusement.

"We tell jokes, I do tricks, with my fellow candlesticks and it's all in perfect taste that you can bet. Come on and lift your glass, you've won your own free pass, to be our guest.

Ben stepped forward again as the end of the song drew near. "If you're stressed, it's fine dining we suggest," he winked.

"Be our guest, be our guest, be our guest!"

The crowd clapped at the end once the song finished and they struck their final pose. Her eyes searched the crowd looking for her dad but instead she noticed the Carlos, holding Dude, standing with the other Isle of the Lost students, all four of them looking very nice for the day's event. Smile brightening, she couldn't help but blush, thinking about the night before.

Her very first kiss. She didn't see it coming, to be honest she was focusing on the song, she didn't notice that he had moved until a beat later. Then, the next thing she knew, his hands were on either side of her face and their lips were pressed together and her every nerve was standing on end. Her heart was pounding so hard she was surprised that he didn't hear it.

The students made their way off of the makeshift stage and Irene tried to spot her father in the crowd but was easily distracted when Carlos gave her a wave. Smiling, she made her way toward the four.

"Glad you all could make it," she said to the group. "You all look lovely." Evie smiled widely and Mal even looked relaxed as well, while Jay gave a nod before slipping off toward the chocolate fountain table. Carlos opened his mouth to say something but Mal had spoken up first, unaware.

"Do you know where Ben went?" she asked. Confused, she turned around to see that Ben was no longer mingling with everyone and she gave a soft laugh, knowing what he had to attend next. She pointed out his blue suit for the girl to see.

"He's just past the pillars. They should be taking a family photo, last I heard," she explained.

"Oh, all right. Thanks." Then the young villainess was making her way toward the Prince. Irene couldn't help but giggle. She knew very well that Ben was going to surprise his parents with his new girlfriend. Hopefully the photographer could capture the moment.

"Irene."

Blush already beginning, she turned back to see Carlos stepping toward her, his freckled cheeks pink. Or was that just from the sun? She could never really tell. He cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck for a moment. Confused, she gave a soft smile and he ducked his head, reaching into his pocket. After a second of searching, he held out his gloved hand, his own blush darkening.

"Here."

Now very confused, she held out her own hand and felt the cool sensation of metal filling her palm. Turning the item over, her breath caught in her chest when she saw the familiar clock face. She checked the back to make certain, and the engraving was where it should be: _I. Radcliffe_.

"My watch!" she gasped, looking back to the boy. "Where did you find it? I lost this days ago!"

"Jay sort of…found it out by the tourney field, I think," he explained. He stepped closer and picked up the watch from her hand so to show her. "The clasp here was weakened and couldn't stay fastened for very long, which wasn't hard to fix and it should be just fine now. Then I noticed that it wasn't keeping time well. Were you late to class a lot?"

She gave a sheepish laugh. "Notoriously."

"Well, it should be fine now," he grinned. "It wasn't anything too difficult and only really took a few minutes once I figured out what was wrong with it. It should be as good as new now."

"Thank you, Carlos," she told him, meaning every word. "You didn't have to do any of this."

His blush deepened another shade before he gathered his words. "Well, a broken watch doesn't seem to do you any good."

With the watch still in his grasp, he looked between her hands before picking up the left, remembering that she was right handed. Her pulse picked up again and she felt her face grow hot, suddenly self-conscious about every fiber of her being. He slipped the watch over her hand and easily fastened it with a secure click. His gaze met hers again and he gave a half sort of smile, his hand politely only holding her fingers. How a prince would hold a princess'. Actually, she thought he looked a little sad.

"There. Now you'll always be on time."

She gave his fingers a squeeze, concerned. "Carlos—"

"Irene!"

The pair flinched at the sound of her name and she saw Carlos lose all color as he quickly let go of her hand. Turning around, she was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace and nearly lifted off her feet. The shock was instantly replaced with joy as she recognized the person.

"Dad!"

"I've been looking for you!" he said, releasing her so that she could take a step back. "Excellent work with the performance! A very fun twist on a classic, I enjoyed it!"

"Really?" she asked in awe. It was the highest praise for her, personally, whenever her dad would like her music or composition.

Roger Radcliffe smiled down at his daughter, his hand resting on her shoulder. He was tall and very slender, with blonde hair neatly parted that was giving way to white. He was dressed nicely in a cream colored suit, brown shoes freshly shined. While Irene may resemble her mother more, she was always told that she was her father's daughter and she took great pride in that fact. Her father was a talented musician with a heart as big as can be and she proudly modeled herself after him.

"Where's mom? Did she come?" asked Irene, looking around him for her mother. Roger gave a sympathetic frown.

"Sorry, darling, she wasn't feeling very well. She caught a bit of a bug just yesterday," he explained. "Though I am supposed to ask how your classes are and not just talk about music."

They both crinkled their noses at the idea.

"Oh!" gasped Irene, her manners returning. She turned back to see that Carlos was trying to step away from the two. "I'm so sorry! Dad, this is Carlos. Carlos, this is my dad."

The boy froze at his name and stiffly turned back around. Her father gave a smile and held out his hand, to which the student returned the gesture.

"Good to meet you Carlos. I'm Roger Radcliffe, Irene's father," he properly introduced.

"Nice to meet you, sir," said Carlos. Worry was building up within her as he barely made eye contact with her father, his shoulders tense as if he was trying to vanish on the spot.

"Well, I hate to be rude but I'm starving," laughed Roger. "Do you mind showing me to the luncheon part of this event, darling?"

"Oh, right, of course," stammered Irene, her gaze still wandering back to the De Vil.

"Carlos, would you care to join us?" invited her father. Relief returned to her upon hearing her father's invitation. Carlos seemed surprised as well but he politely declined.

"Thank you, Mr. Radcliffe, but I think I better go find the rest of my friends," he excused. Brown eyes met once more before he took his leave and she let out a sigh.

"He seems like a nice boy Irene," commented her father. They had started to walk toward the food tables, their arms looped together so to help keep her steady in the grass as she was wearing her heels. She perked up at his words.

"He is, he's very nice."

"Much nicer than Cruella."

Irene nearly dropped the paper plate she had just picked up in shock at the nonchalance of the statement. Gaping up at her father, she saw that he was chuckling to himself, taking the plate from her limp hand.

"You knew?" she asked.

"It wasn't exactly difficult," he teased. "I knew about Prince Ben's proclamation and while I was concerned, any worry I may have had is now void since I saw how he was with you."

A blush was daring to start up again. "With me?"

"The boy likes you," he said simply, beginning to fill his plate up with food. Irene thought her head was going to combust from the heat of her embarrassment and she covered her face to try and recover.

"Dad!"

"I'm only stating the obvious, darling," he laughed. "You should get something to eat and then tell me all about your latest project."

* * *

The afternoon was going along well, Irene thought. She and her dad were standing at one of the tall tables, eating and discussing music. Of course one of the topics they had to talk about was Pongo and how she ran away to the Academy again. She tried to convince her dad that it would be easier if the pup simply stayed with her. Clearly, she was sad when Irene was away at school and she did behave very well when she was on campus. While she was a young puppy, she was clever enough to know to stay away from the Family Day event because her father would pick her and take her home. That did not mean Pongo wasn't in attendance, Irene caught a glimpse of her playing with Dude and hanging around Carlos, running around the croquet area and jumping in the bushes to hide every so often. Roger said that he would think about it and that was when their conversation was interrupted by a sharp cry.

" _You!_ "

Startled, she looked around the courtyard and saw Queen Leah, the mother of Aurora (more commonly known as Sleeping Beauty), and the grandmother to Audrey appearing to be in some kind of distress. Her granddaughter was standing beside her, Fairy Godmother was making her way toward them and she saw that she was staring at Mal in pure disbelief. Irene didn't say a word to her father as she left the table and hurriedly made her way over.

"How—how are you here?" asked Queen Leah. "And how have you stayed so young?"

Prince Ben arrived steps before Irene, standing behind Maleficent's daughter, his hands on her arms in a type of side embrace. Evie and Jay were the next to appear, standing on Ben's side while Carlos stood on Irene's.

"Queen Leah, it's okay," reassured Ben. "Maleficent is still on the island. This is her daughter, Mal."

Mal tried to give a smile to help defuse the tension, but Queen Leah was not to be quieted and Ben tried again.

"Don't you remember my proclamation to give the new generation a chance?"

"A chance to what, Ben? Destroy us?"

Irene felt her insides turn cold as the conflict refused to subside. Audrey was still holding her grandmother's hand and other students were stepping forward to see what was happening. Poor Ben didn't know what to say to the distressed queen.

"Come on. You remember, don't you?" she asked to everyone in general, turning to look at Fairy Godmother. "The poison apples. And the spells." Her glare turned to Belle and the Beast, both who lowered their gaze. Of course they remembered the magic.

"Spells," she repeated, turning her focus back to Mal. "My daughter…was raised by fairies. Because of your mother's curse. So her first words, her first steps, I missed it all!"

Her heartache was enough to make them cringe, not knowing how to respond.

"You mustn't trust her," insisted Queen Leah to Fairy Godmother, her voice catching.

Mal tried to step forward. "I'm so so—"

Chad Charming was quick to jump between the upset queen and the apologetic fairy.

"Go away! Stay away from her!" He insisted with such conviction that Mal took a step back and Ben moved forward, squaring up to his classmate. They were fairly even in height but Ben was broader than Cinderella's son.

"Don't do this, Chad," warned the prince.

"What?" he asked. "They were raised by their parents, Ben."

Irene heard her voice before she realized that she was talking back.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

The two groups turned to look at her and she could feel the back of her neck begin to flush with heat under the focus. She hated, _hated_ , confrontation and it made her sick to her stomach, but she couldn't just stay quiet. Chad Charming was used to getting his way and she was going to make certain he didn't get it this time.

"What do you think villains teach their children, huh, Irene?" he challenged. Now he was stepping closer to her, using his newfound height advantage to intimidate her. "Kindness? Fair play? No way, okay? Uh-uh."

She refused to wither under his gaze and took a step forward instead, standing toe to toe with him. "That's perfectly rich coming from you, Chad Charming."

"What?"

"You think you're the pinnacle of model behavior solely because of your parentage?" she countered. "Your parents are Cinderella and Prince Charming, so you should be the prime example of hard work and charming disposition when, in fact, you're nothing more than a royal jerk too used to getting his own way."

Chad's cheeks reddened in frustration and he moved closer again, making her shift one foot back so to keep her balance as she glared up at him.

"Suddenly brave now, are you, Irene?" he asked. "Decide to talk back now that you have a little villain friend?"

She went rigid as he looked over her shoulder at Carlos. He tutted disapprovingly, looking down his nose at her.

"I've got to say, you have poor choice in friends. If I were you, I certainly wouldn't want to be friends with someone who would turn my beloved dog into mittens as soon as it got cold. But hey, maybe you like that. It's not as if his mother tormented your family with grief and heartache or anything."

Irene could feel her face burning as angry tears pricked her eyes and he stepped back toward Mal and Ben, pointing accusingly at the girl.

"You stole another girl's boyfriend."

"Hey, hey!" interjected Ben. But Chad stepped to the side, turning his sights to Jay and Evie.

"Oh. You," he pointed at Jay, "enjoy hurting people. And you…"

His gaze lingered on Evie, whose hand was on Jay's, keeping him back. "You're nothing but a gold digger and a cheater."

Chad looked back at Doug with a satisfied nod while Doug could only gape in shock, dumbfounded as to how to fix the situation. Evie, on the other hand, had pulled out her handheld mirror with an angry glare focused on the Charming prince.

 _"Mirror, mirror, in my hand,"_ she spelled, _"who's the biggest jerk in the land?"_

When she displayed the glass for all to see, it was Chad Charming's reflection.

"What? Come on," he scoffed, slapping Evie's hand aside with some force.

That was the last straw. Jay was lunging forward as soon as he made contact with the blue haired girl. He had a fistful of his shirt, forcing him to step backwards, his well-polished shoes barely touching the grass.

"Back off, Chad. All right?" he growled. "Back off!"

Everyone was moving at once but Evie was faster, a small blue perfume bottle in her hand and in an instant, a sapphire mist was sprayed into Chad's face. The blue cloud hadn't even dissipated before he slumped back and Doug had to catch him to keep him from hitting the ground. Ben had to pull Jay away as the other students surrounded the blonde, the Arabian still angry.

"Chad? Chad? Chad!" called Audrey, her voice rising in pitch. "Evie did something to Chad!"

"Wake up," said Lonnie, then looking to Doug. "Check if he's okay."

Evie was grabbing Mal's hand, tugging her away. The two glanced back at Irene and she gave a nod.

"Go on," she said softly, her own body still shaking. "We'll—we'll take care of it here."

They nodded and took off, with Jay right behind them. She then heard a small whine and turned to see Pongo coming to a stop beside her with Carlos right behind. He looked panic stricken as well, looking back and forth from her and his retreating friends.

"Irene, I—"

"Go with your friends," she encouraged. She didn't want him to see the tears fall. They weren't from sadness, simply frustration and embarrassment. "You should be with them. We've got it covered here."

He grimaced, clearly not happy with the situation, but did turn to follow his friends, vanishing to another part of the courtyard.

Finally, the hot tears rolled down her cheeks as she returned to Prince Ben's side. Her poor friend looked so much like a lost boy rather than a prince about to be king. She brought a hand up and gently touched his back with a reassuring tap. He flinched at the contact and looked down at her, his expression so stunned with the turn of events.

"I feared something like this would happen," sighed the King. Irene and Ben both turned toward the King and Queen, the latter looking just as distressed as they felt, nearly faint.

Ben was quick to defend. "This isn't their fault!"

"Ben's right, they're not their parents!" chimed Irene. "It wasn't their choices or their magic!"

The King gave her a sympathetic look before turning a stern face to his only son.

"No, son. It's yours."

Beast returned his glasses to their place before taking Belle's hand and leading her away, the queen looking over shoulder to her child, still in shock.

"Mom?" Ben called softly only to receive no response.

The two continued to walk away just as the others managed to help Chad to his feet. Audrey was helping her boyfriend walk and scoffed at the only two students who stood up for the villains as they walked past them. Doug and Lonnie hesitated for a moment but then soon left as well.

Ben and Irene were left alone as the only defense for the Isle of the Lost children.

* * *

Carlos was angry, upset, and beyond frustrated. The Family Day event had been going so nicely only to be turned on its head due to their parent's history. Sleeping Beauty's mother recognized Mal and it spiraled out of control from there. The elderly queen was practically in hysterics and soon others were getting involved. Specifically, Chad Charming.

Irene had come over to help settle the problem, standing closer to Mal and Ben as a type of shield but Charming wasn't about to let anyone get away with anything. When he started to tell off Ben for defending Mal, Irene was quick to stand up for them. She dared to go against a member of a royal family and Chad wasn't too pleased. Carlos was so proud of how she swiftly shut down his statement about their parentage and called him out on his own behavior. Once she finished her piece, Charming was vicious in taking her down several notches for her remark.

Carlos hated that he couldn't do anything without instigating a fight and worsening their predicament. He hated that he could only watch as Irene was insulted, his own flush rising when Charming insulted the both of them and insinuated that he would skin her dog to make a pair of gloves. He hated that he couldn't fight back or risk solidifying his status as a villain. He hated that he had to run away, even though Irene insisted that she and Ben would take care of everything. He hated that once again, he was the source of her misfortune.

"Hey, guys," called Ben, making his way over to their table. They were hiding out at a shaded picnic table trying to stay out of the way of everyone's ire. "How is everyone?"

Sullen silence answered him.

"Hey, listen," he said, clapping Jay on the shoulder as he moved around their table. "Forget about it. All right? It was nothing. Forget about it. Let it go."

He had to be given credit for still keeping a smile on his face, thought Carlos. Ben was standing behind Mal, hands resting on her shoulders in reaffirmation. The gesture did nothing to help her sad expression.

"After the coronation, I promise everything will be okay," he assured them. He bent down to whisper in Mal's ear before giving them one last smile. "I'll see you guys later."

As soon as Ben moved away, Doug stepped toward their table and tried to talk to Evie in a low, rushed whisper.

"Listen, Evie, I wanna talk about earlier. I just—"

"Doug!" came Chad's voice. Of course, Charming and his peers were sitting at the table opposite of the villain legacies. Doug gave the prince an exasperated look.

"It's my fault, Doug," apologized Evie, her voice just above a whisper. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's mine—"

"Doug!"

"What?" he sighed, looking back again at the other table. Chad was partially standing up in his attempt to gain Doug's attention. Carlos bitterly thought Evie should've given him a few more doses of the sleeping spray.

"Doug…" tried Evie.

"I'm sorry, I can't," he tried to explain, but his body was already dragging him back to the other table. He sat down and looked back at her own more time, holding his head in his hands.

Evie pushed the tray of food firmly away from her, the silverware rattling.

Frustration was more than evident at their table and Carlos couldn't help but feel useless. Everyone he cared about was hurt in some way and there wasn't a thing he could do about it. They weren't even given a moment of peace since Audrey and Jane were making their way over and holding hands as if they were friends. The white haired boy distinctively remembered Jane being terrified of being in the same classroom as them, having brought Irene along with her last time, but she was much braver with Sleeping Beauty's daughter by her side and her new hair, which was courtesy of Mal's magic.

"How long does she think that's gonna last?" Audrey asked Jane, making a point to speak clearly and loudly for their benefit. They were standing directly behind the purplette. "Mal's just the bad girl infatuation."

"Yeah," agreed Jane. She then leaned down to make sure they all could hear her. "I mean, he's never gonna make a villain a queen."

The two laughed at the comment and as they started to walk away, Jane had a few last words to throw over her shoulder, Audrey's sharp eyes piercing Carlos as she spoke.

"Just like Irene will never fall in love with a villain."

He visibly flinched at their words and Evie placed a reassuring hand on his arm. As if he needed to be reminded. Irene hadn't even come over with the king-to-be, most likely having to explain everything to her father and help Ben keep the peace. Guilt twisted his inside and his chest felt tight again. Dude wasn't even with him and he could feel his anxiety and frustration climbing, so he settled for clenching his jaw and saying nothing, lowering his head. He wanted nothing more than to wipe the smug looks from their faces. They shouldn't be baiting them. Purposefully provoking Mal, using Irene against him, and taking Doug away from Evie. It wasn't fair.

Their sharp laughter hung in the air as they returned to their friends. Mal brought out her spell book and set it heavily on the table barely having to look as she searched for the desired spell, her own eyes unusually bright from the upheaval of emotions.

 _"Beware, forswear, undo Jane's hair."_

There was the sharp movement of her finger and a shriek from Jane. While the other Auradon girls were startled and laughing at the Fairy Godmother's daughter, the villains got up from their seats and turned to face Audrey and the rest.

"There's a lot more where that came from," promised Mal.

"Excuse me, who do you think you are?" asked Audrey, not so much as glancing at Jane.

Mal gave a pointed glare. "Do I look like I'm kidding?"

Audrey's smug look slipped away when Mal opened her spell book again and began to flip through the pages, and the other students entirely began to scatter. When they were far enough away, the young fairy took a deep breath and turned back to face her friends.

"I'm really looking forward to the coronation." The book closed with a sharp snap. "Let's grab that wand and blow this popsicle stand."

If they wanted a happy ending, then they were going to have to take it.

* * *

 **REVIEW! Your thoughts would be loved as always! Whew, longest chapter yet and everything's wrapping up! Lots of emotions for Family Day and Irene standing up to Charming. What a time to step in the spotlight, huh?**

 **Next time (final chapter!): Coronation!**

 **Hope you enjoy!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Ink & Chocolate**

 **Chapter Ten**

* * *

The bells were ringing from the cathedral as the processional parade made its way down the road. Most people were already gathered within the grand room and mingling with one another as the waited for the arrival of Prince Ben, who was soon to be crowned as King. Irene had gotten up and ready early so to make her way to the coronation site to help with last minute arrangements and to make sure the children's choir was confident and ready. If there was ever something musically inclined, Ben was always sure to volunteer her or ask her to help. She wasn't one to argue and she certainly didn't want to miss any musical opportunity.

She caught sight of Jane shuffling around from group to group of mingling people, looking worried and unsure. Her hair was returned to its short straight cut, the blue bow sitting slightly to the side like it used to. Frowning in concern, Irene linked arms with the girl and whisked her away to keep her company as she made her last minute rounds. Jane tried to stammer an excuse, but she wasn't going to hear it. She knew that the typically timid girl had been acting odd ever since her hair was magicked to a different style and her confidence had risen exceptionally. Now that it was returned to its usual length, it would stand to reason that her nervous tendencies would return.

"I-Irene, you really don't have to…" stammered Jane, keeping her gaze low. They were up in the balcony so Irene could make certain everything was in its place. After giving the choir a few words of encouragement, she turned back to the uneasy girl and linked their arms again.

"Don't worry about it, Jane. I like the company, anyway," she teased, giving a smile and her hand a pat. Only Jane didn't return the smile and grimaced instead. Just before they reached the stairs the girl in blue brought her to a halt with surprising strength. Concerned, Irene moved to stand face to face with Fairy Godmother's daughter.

"Jane, what is it?" she asked, worried. Jane's complexion was a little ashen and she looked on the brink of tears.

"Oh, Irene, I've been awful," she hiccupped. Brows furrowed, she allowed her confusion to be obvious.

"Jane, I don't know what you're talking about?" she said. "You've never been awful."

She gave a little squeak as she did when she was especially nervous. "But I was, Irene, I was awful to the others at Family Day! I was with Audrey and I knew it wasn't a nice thing to say but I said it anyway. I just wanted them to like me…"

Now Irene was becoming nervous, her stomach twisting with apprehension.

"What did you say?"

A squeak. "Audrey said that Mal was just a bad girl infatuation and I told Mal that Ben would never make a villain a queen…"

"Jane!" she scolded. "Why on earth would you say that? That's completely uncalled for!"

The blue eyed girl cringed and she closed her eyes as she finished her confession, her words coming out in a rush.

"And I told Carlos that you would never fall in love with a villain…!"

Her breath caught in her throat and her heart gave a painful squeeze at the words. Stunned, she stared openly at the meek girl. Her own voice came out in a small croak.

"Why...why would you…"

The cheering sounded louder which only meant that Ben's carriage was approaching. Taking a deep breath, she cleared her throat and ushered Jane to follow as they approached the stairs. They would have to discuss the unnecessary comments after the coronation. When the two started down the steps they met the trio of villains, one short since Mal was arriving with Ben.

There was an awkward pause between the two groups before Evie and Irene shared a nod and she and Jay continued up to the balcony while Jane hurriedly made her way downstairs. Soon, the boy and girl were left alone. Irene stepped down the steps while Carlos moved up so they were nearly equal, the boy actually being noticeably taller than her by standing on the next step.

"You look…great…" managed Carlos.

She was dressed in a white gown with black sequins that started at the neckline and gradually lessened and vanished by her waist. There was sheer fabric that covered the skin between the dress's neckline and her throat and it also extended down as sleeves that stopped just above her elbows. Her auburn hair held her usual halo braid but the length was free down her back, bouncing with the weight of curls and waves. "Great" wasn't the right word and Carlos wished that he had picked something better to express how lovely she looked. She took his breath away.

A blush graced her cheeks and she smiled up at him which only made him pinken in return. He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand since he was holding Dude with the other. He couldn't help but blush whenever she smiled at him like that. Like he was her favorite person. The warming thought ten turned cold once he remembered Jane's words.

 _"Just like Irene will never fall in love with a villain…"_

Suddenly, he was snapped out of his daze when he felt Irene grasp his hand with both of her own, now standing on the same step as him. Brown eyes were bright as she held his leather gloved hand, giving a reassuring squeeze.

"I heard about what Jane said to you," she explained, "and I wouldn't worry about it if I were you."

He blinked in confusion. "You wouldn't?"

"Not even a little," she grinned.

When she made to go down the staircase, Carlos held tight to her left hand, causing her to look back in surprise. It took him a moment to figure out his words.

"You're…not sitting in the balcony?" he managed to ask.

"No, I'm allowed to be in the front with Doug and Jane," she told him. Her smile started to falter as his grip on her hand tightened almost painfully. Confusion mixing with worry, she returned the grasp softly.

"I'll see you at the celebration afterwards," she promised. "Save me a dance, okay?"

While her tone was light, she didn't know how to explain the way he was looking at her. Brown eyes wide with worry, body tense, and hand refusing to let go, he looked at her as if she was leaving him forever. It was like he was trying to tell her something and she simply couldn't understand.

Finally, he answered and slowly released her hand.

"Of course…"

With one last look, she had to hurry down the stairs and take her place among the students to await Prince Ben.

Carlos could feel his heart resounding hard within his chest as he stood at the front of the balcony with Evie and Jay, Dude clutched tightly to him. As a result of his racing pulse, his blood was pounding noisily within his ears and he paled when he saw just how close Irene was to the front with little Pongo by her heel, a green bow around her neck. She was just a few steps away from the Beast's bell jar as the blue cloth cover was being removed by the Fairy Godmother who was standing between the King and Queen.

Mal was then escorted to the front and standing just in front of Irene, closer to the wand by just a step. He could feel Evie's worried gaze on him and he sternly kept his eyes forward, refusing to look away. He already knew his part in their escape. Find the limo that brought them from the island so to activate the bridge and Evie would disable the driver with the perfume Mal brewed. Then, the villains' reign would begin.

All there was left to do was wait and he wanted to memorize everything he could about Irene Radcliffe.

* * *

The fanfare sounded and the people quieted and turned to see the large doors opening to reveal Prince Ben. His posture was pin straight and his stature betrayed his nervousness but his face was carefully calm as he slowly made his way down the carpeted aisle. The chorus began to sing and the Beast helped Queen Belle to her feet as they watched their son. With each step, the people before Ben bowed or dipped in a curtsy in his presence. Irene held onto the length of her gown as she curtsied in respect, smiling proudly for her friend. When she straightened, she saw Ben glance and smile at Mal. They were so good together, she thought to herself. They complimented each other very well.

As Ben approached the steps, Fairy Godmother embraced Queen Belle and curtsied before King Beast. The grand king then bowed and gave up his crown. Ben was now kneeling and the Fairy Godmother stood before him, the handsome gold crown between her hands. The sapphire and emerald jewels embedded in the circlet glistened in the light filled hall as she lowered it carefully onto his head.

Smiling at his son, the King stepped forward and carefully removed the bell jar and revealed the most powerful wand, suspended in the air and beautifully wrought with blue, ivory, and silver. Queen Belle carefully picked it up with both hands and transferred it to Fairy Godmother. The King lowered the delicately crafted glass case and the fairy began to speak to Ben. The music had quieted and her words rang out clearly.

"Do you solemnly swear to govern the peoples of Auradon with justice and mercy as long as you shall reign?"

Ben's voice resonated as well.

"I do solemnly swear."

"Then it is my honor," she tapped his right shoulder with her wand and then his left, "and my joy, to bless our new King—"

There was a flash of light blue material passing Irene and a collective gasp.

Jane had sprinted across the room and snatched the wand from her mother's hand. Immediately, white magic started to crackle and spout from the tip as it vibrated in her hand. Her blue eyes were wide as she tried to control the wand just as a bolt of magic blasted from it, shattering one of the stain glass windows. She now had both hands on the wand, fighting to keep it under control as it continued to spark.

"Child, what are you doing?!" shouted Fairy Godmother. Most people were ducking and covering their heads, shuffling back from the young girl. Jane turned to her mother, desperation obvious in her voice.

"If you won't make me beautiful, I'll do it myself!"

She tried to swing the wand accordingly but it jerked disobediently in her hands, sending off another shower of sparks.

"Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo!" she tried to spell, huffing between each word.

Ben dashed down the steps to stand in front of Mal and push her back from the unbridled magic. Steeling herself, Irene gathered up her dress in one hand and bolted forward, ignoring Ben's warning. She couldn't just leave Jane.

"Take cover!" roared the Beast.

The wand was jerking the petite girl around and Irene quickly grabbed her, eyes half closed from the bright light. One arm tightly around her waist to help stop her from flailing and she grabbed her wrist, trying to push the wand down.

"Let go, Jane!" shouted Irene. "Let it go!"

"No!" she cried. Though she protested, her arm was beginning to lower. Gritting her teeth, Irene pushed more strength against her. She could feel her shaking, her breathing ragged. Why was she so desperate to be beautiful? She didn't need a magic spell to alter her appearance, she was fine just the way she was!

Mal then jumped forward and snatched the wand from Jane. With the wand out of her hand, the girl nearly went limp from the shock of it all and the ginger managed to drag her off to the side. When she finally let her go, instead of facing her, Jane turned and disappeared further into the distressed crowd. Huffing, the girl in white turned around to see Mal standing uncertainly with the wand clenched tightly in both hands, holding it out and away from her body. Lost and more than a little confused, the Radcliffe daughter hurried back to the front as her fellow students continued to shrink back away from the scene.

Ben was the one who dared to approach her, one hand reaching out to her while the other was to keep his parents back.

"Mal?" he called, gently but firmly. "Give me the wand."

"Stand back!" she warned, but Irene heard the waver in her voice.

The large doors were pushed open and the three other Isle of the Lost students came running, with Carlos in the lead. The boy and girl shared a worried look for their friends, both paling.

"It's okay," promised the new King.

"Ben, I said stand back!" Mal warned again, her voice louder. Irene began to step forward just as Audrey called out,

"I told you so!"

Mal turned to face her with the wand and the people moved back, shrieking. Irene gave her roommate a quick scowl. Now wasn't the best time to brag about her justified prejudice. When she looked forward again, Carlos was no longer looking at her but at Mal.

"Let's go!" he ushered.

Jay's voice was low but she still heard him. "Revenge time…"

Revenge?

"You really want to do this?" asked Ben. Mal looked as if she was on the edge of crying, her hands shaking.

"We have no choice Ben!" she pleaded. "Our parents—"

"Your parents made their choice," he said. He then lowered his hands. "Now you make yours."

The silence was deafening as Mal hesitated, the entire cathedral holding their breath. Irene thought for certain the sound of her heart pounding was enough to echo within the grand walls as she stared openly at the four, at Carlos in particular. They were planning this the entire time? From the very beginning? Did they…did they not care about what would happen to Auradon if the real villains got their hands on the wand? She couldn't even imagine what chaos it would bring and her first thought of terror was, what would Cruella do upon her return? The Dalmatian Plantation, the shelter her family owned, would be her first stop. And Carlos…

Her heart was physically aching as she looked at him. Silent tears filled her eyes, slipping down her cheeks.

Even after everything? She thought he was making so much progress at their school and in their environment, with Dude, the tourney team, and even…even with her. She thought, for a time, that she was special to him in some sort of way.

" _You're…not sitting in the balcony?"_

Carlos dared to glance at her and she could see that he was shaking, his fists clenched, and he was trying so hard to communicate just like on the staircase. She dared to take a small step forward. No, she knew he cared. He cared so much about his friends, about her.

"I think…" came Mal's voice. "I think I want to be good…"

Ben was quick to reaffirm her. "You are good."

"How do you know that?" she cried, desperate to understand.

"Because…" he trailed off for a moment. "Because I'm listening to my heart."

Mal was quiet for a moment, trying to wrap her head around Ben's words. She could see the tension begin to ebb away from her shoulders.

"I want to listen to my heart, too." There was another pause before she turned to face her friends. "And my heart is telling me that we are not our parents."

The other were soundless at her proclamation, Evie being close to tears. Mal looked to Jay, beginning to smile from her change of heart.

"I mean, stealing things doesn't make you happy," she reasoned. "Tourney and victory pizza with the team makes you happy."

Jay gave a slow smile as her words hit its mark. Then she turned to Carlos.

"And you, scratching Dude's belly makes you happy. Who would've thought?" The purple fairy glanced over to the girl in white and her smile brightened. "And being with Irene makes you very happy."

At the mention of her name, Carlos gave off a new glow and smiled at the girl, happily guilty.

She then talked to Evie, who already lost a few tears due to the happy moment. "And Evie…you do _not_ have to play dumb to get a guy. You are so smart." Mal took another breath.

"And I don't want to take over the world with evil. It doesn't make me happy." She sniffed, her own eyes damp. "I want to go to school. And be with Ben…because Ben makes me really happy."

Ben looked wonderfully relieved and overjoyed all at once.

"Us being friends makes me really happy," she continued, turning back to the three. "Not destroying things."

She took a deep breath and held out her fist.

"I choose good, you guys."

Though there was a heavy pause, Jay brought his fist up to hers. "I choose good too."

"I choose good," agreed Evie breathily. Her fist met theirs.

"So, just to be clear," started Carlos, "we don't have to worry about how mad our parents are going to be? Because they're gonna be really, _really_ mad."

Ben stepped forward. "Your parents can't reach you here. They can't hurt you or anyone else."

At those words, Carlos looked to Irene and smiled, keeping eye contact as he brought his fist to meet the others.

"Okay, then. Good."

The terrified silence had evaporated entirely and people were beginning to smile. Irene could still feel the tears rolling but gave a watery chuckle as they were now happy tears. Mal even nodded for Ben to join them and applause broke out when his fist met the villains'. It was such a relief to take a deep breath and just as Irene was to step forward, there was an explosion and the sound of raining glass.

Covering her head, she dared to peek up and there was a large formation of green smoke. Everyone shuffled backwards as the pillar of smog swirled about the room before landing between Ben and Mal, the two backing up to defend their friends and family. Alarm ringing in her head, the smoke cleared within a moment to reveal the horned figured dressed entirely in black, a tall scepter in their right hand. Irene felt her insides turn to ice.

Maleficent.

"I'm _back_!" her voice sang, reverberating through every inch of the cathedral.

Everyone had similar expressions of terror. Fairy Godmother was gaping openly, Queen Belle was holding onto Ben's arm, and Irene's eyes were wide with fright. What were they to do? Maleficent was to be trapped on the Isle of the Lost for the rest of her time. She couldn't have gotten out on her own. Brown eyes darted to the magic wand and she connected the dots. The big blast of magic from when Jane took the wand must have struck the barrier, damaging it enough for the villainess to break herself free.

"Go away, mother," sighed Mal.

"She's funny!" cackled her mother. The statement must have been incredibly funny as she gave a snort in her mirth. "I'm so—you're very funny. Here."

Her laughter fell away instantly as she sternly looked at her daughter. "Wand me. Chop chop."

With the barrier fractured, who knew how many other villains could be on their way?

" _No!_ "

The word was out of her own mouth and she found herself standing in front of Mal before she could wrap her head around what a stupid move that was on her part. She may not have been especially close to the purple haired girl but they were all trying so _hard_ to choose their own path. Her entire body was shaking as she stared into the eerily green eyes of the one and only Maleficent, but she didn't move. She refused.

Purple lips pursed at her in displeasure.

"Well you're annoying."

The staff flared green and her world went black.

* * *

Carlos lunged forward but Jay caught him mid-air and forcibly restrained him. He struggled against his friend but the Arabian was obviously stronger. His clear disadvantage didn't stop him from trying to get free, her name tearing itself from his throat.

" _Irene!_ "

The girl couldn't answer him. She couldn't even look back at him. Her body remained perfectly still due to Maleficent turning her to stone.

He couldn't seem to hear as the scene continued to unfold. Fairy Godmother tried to cast a spell once Mal tossed her the wand, but the magic staff glowed again and the entire room was frozen in time before the good enchantment was cast. Then Maleficent was strutting about, strolling casually in front of the royal family and singing under her breathe.

"Evil like me, don't you wanna be mean…"

Brown eyes burned with hot angry tears as he stared at the statue of the girl. She had jumped in front of them as a shield without any warning, hoping to buy them some time. It had happened so suddenly he didn't have a chance to fully react before Maleficent used her magic, turning her to stone as if she was nothing more than her crow. His teeth grounded furiously as he glared at the queen of evil herself, growling.

"Where should we begin?" asked Maleficent. Her eyes brightened. "I know—Let's start with this."

She pointed the wand and the gold ring from Mal's index finger zipped through the air, ringing aloud as it settled at the base of the wand. Maleficent gasped with faux excitement.

"Perfect fit!"

Mal looked completely heartbroken as she looked down at her empty hand, beginning to tremble. Her mother didn't even look her way as she stepped up to Ben, turning his head so to see him and then tilting his crown.

"Falling in love is weak…and ridiculous," she tutted. Her black dress trailed across the floor as she moved toward them. "Just ask your friend here…"

She tapped her scepter against the stone girl and cackled at her own joke.

"Oh, wait—You can't!"

Carlos threw himself against Jay's hold, struggling vehemently. Not that he had any plan of what to do or anything. He was useless against magic but that didn't stop him from wanting to try and cause some hurt in any way possible. It was Irene she hurt, _his_ Irene! The one good thing he found all on his own.

"It's not what you want," lectured Maleficent.

"You don't know what I want!" argued Mal. ""Mom, have you ever once asked me what I want? I'm not you!"

"Oh, obviously," she shrugged. "I've had years and years and years and years of practice being evil. You'll get there."

"No, I will not," she refused. "And I really wish that you had never gotten there yourself."

Maleficent's expression was beginning to turn firm, the flippant edge wearing away.

"Love is not weak or ridiculous. It's actually really amazing," continued Mal.

Poison green eyes narrowed into slits.

"I know one thing, young lady," she warned, pointing the wand at her daughter. "You have no room for love in your life!"

There was a split second pause before Mal extend her hand to the air.

" _And now I command, wand to my hand!_ "

Gold magic burst from the tip and surrounded it with a double helix before ripping free of Maleficent's grasp and launching into Mal's hand. Stunned, the girl gave a little laugh in shock.

"It worked…!"

"I hardly think so," seethed Maleficent as she began to pace before the throne. "Frankly, this is tedious and very immature." Greedy eyes turned back and she held out her hand. "Give me the wand. Give me the wand!"

Jay's grip had slacked during the exchange and Carlos stepped to his friend's side, his body shaking as he tried to keep himself under control.

"Hold on, Mal," he advised. "Maybe good really is more powerful than evil."

His eyes lingered on Irene's statue and he retracted his statement.

"No. We _know_ good is more powerful than evil," he corrected, bursting with conviction.

Maleficent gave a snort, clearly not threatened by him. "Oh, please! Just ask your friend, Stoney, how well that turned out. You're killing me!"

There was then the sound of a bark and a growl. Dude was rushing down the aisle and jumped at the woman while Pongo dove at her long dress, grabbing a mouthful of fabric and pulling as hard as she could.

"The breath! Get off me!" she huffed, tossing Dude to the side. Glaring down at the Dalmatian, she gave a firm kick that sent the puppy sliding across the marble floor with a pained yelp.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Jay dove forward and grabbed the staff with both hands and tried to pull it away. The scepter glowed and didn't so much as budge as Maleficent leaned in closely, green eyes glowing with magic. Still trying to win with his strength, the woman slid her clawed over his arm, sinking her nails into the fabric of his jacket.

"Gaston should be jealous," she teased. Her smile dropped and she flicked him in the forehead and he fell suddenly back onto the ground which made her cackle.

"Enough!" she screeched. The scepter was glowing brighter with every moment as she paced in a circle and stopped before them once more.

"You all will regret this!"

Plumes of blackish green smoke filled the throne room and Carlos quickly picked up Dude, his face paling as he witnessed Maleficent transfigure. At first it was a black shadow that seemed to stretch on and on before wings suddenly unfurled and an angry purple dragon appeared before them.

There wasn't any time to argue as the sickly green fire spewed from her mouth and they all had to run. The white haired boy noticed that Jay had taken a different direction and Maleficent was targeting him.

"C'mon! Run, Jay, run!" he shouted.

Jay took another route, heading up toward the throne chairs. There wasn't any way she could turn around so quickly, she was so large. His dark eyes widened as he was quickly proven wrong, the dragon beating her wings as she moved higher and opened her jaw to release more fire.

Mal's voice was next. "Hurry, Jay! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Like he needed to be told twice.

He was running hard down the carpeted aisle when he heard the wings cutting through the air near him.

"Jay!"

"Jay, come on! Please, Jay!"

Glancing over his shoulder, he let out a shout when he saw Maleficent opening her mouth wide, showcasing all of her sharp teeth. Evie was marching forward and he lunged past her, ducking in a somersault and pushing himself back to his feet. The girl in blue held out her mirror, determination tangible as she stared down a dragon.

" _Magic mirror, show your bright light!"_

Her small looking glass came to life with brilliant beam of white light that was accurately directed into Maleficent's eyes, temporarily blinding her. She crashed back onto all fours with an angry roar. Mal took the helm next.

"Behind me, E!" She squared her shoulders and gripped the wand tightly. "Leave my friends alone!"

Maleficent roared loudly, the glass windows shaking but Mal didn't back down, her own green eyes glowing with magic.

"This is between you and me, mother."

Maleficent took a heavy step forward with a menacing growl, not backing down. Mal took a deep breath and began to spell.

" _The strength of evil is good as none, when stands before four hearts as one."_ Her breathing quickened as Maleficent's eyes glowed green as well, challenging her magic. She repeated the incantation again, saying each word with force.

" _The strength of evil is good as none, when stands before four hearts as one!"_

The room seemed to rattle with the magical power struggle for a moment before the dragon suddenly screeched and reared back, shaking its large head. Green smoke issued from its scales and quickly consumed her form. There was a beat before the smoke suddenly imploded and the dragon was gone from the grand room.

Carlos broke the silence first.

"What just happened?"

"I have no idea," gasped Mal. They hurried down the aisle toward the small black creature and Fairy Godmother was returned to her regular state, rushing to meet them as well.

"Did I do it?" asked Mal, kneeling down beside the small black lizard. It scuttled back and forth, confused.

"No, no, no, no. Your mother did," reassured Fairy Godmother. "She shrank to the size of the love in her heart. That's why it's so itty-bitty."

"Is she going to be like that forever?"

"Well, forever is a long time," she answered. "You learned to love. So can she."

With the adrenaline from the near-death experience fading, Carlos stepped forward to speak. He looked at the petrified figure of Irene, his fingertips trailing against her stone arm

"Fairy Godmother?"

"Yes, dear?" She followed his gaze and gave a warm smile. "Don't worry. I can put everything back the way it was."

Mal returned the wand to Fairy Godmother and in exchange, she gave back the golden ring the prince had given her earlier. The woman gave the four a kind smile. "I believe all of you have earned an "A" in goodness class."

Turning back to the rest of the public, she gave a great wave of her wand. Silver magic spouted and rained down, undoing Maleficent's magic.

" _Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo_!"

The magic was corrected instantly, people reanimating and Ben continued his lunge and gave off a roar, still thinking Maleficent was there. Carlos heard a particular gasp and his eyes widened as Irene's transfiguration reversed itself, the granite returning to skin. She immediately began to fall sideways and he quickly threw his arms around her waist, keeping her upright.

"Irene!"

She blinked as she looked around, disoriented. Her hands found his shoulders to try and gather her bearings and get her feet under her. "Carlos?" A moment passed before she inhaled sharply and she looked at him with wide eyes.

"Carlos!"

He rocked back on his heels when she threw her arms around her neck in a fierce hug. Laughing aloud, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, keeping her body pinned to his own. Burying his nose in her shoulder, he took a deep breath, finally starting to relax.

"I thought you were going to be cursed forever," he mumbled, only loud enough for her to hear. He felt her give a breath of a laugh.

"Don't you know? True love always saves the day."

She leaned back so they were face to face, her hand reaching up to brush his cheek. Brown eyes bright with emotion she gave him the most sincere smile. "I'm so glad you're okay, Carlos."

Jay suddenly appeared and pulled the two into the half formed group hug with Ben, Mal and Evie, grinning broadly all the while.

"Let's get this party started!"

* * *

The fireworks were already being set off as the coronation moved to the outdoor celebration. Bright blues, yellows, and whites exploded against the sky as the music filled the air. Mal and Evie were already on stage and dancing as Ben was carried out by his peers.

"Let's set it off!"

"Oh, yeah."

"You can make it happen!"

The new King was placed on center stage as everyone seemed to fill the spaces. His jacket was undone due to the lack of formality, just like most girls had a shorter dress modified within their proper coronation gown.

"Kings and queens, it's our time to rise. Write the book, story of our lives. This is us taking back the night!"

"Ohayohay!" chorused the entire courtyard.

Mal made her way over to the King, her now short dress sashaying with her as they were together again.

"Break the spell, we were born this way. Be yourself, forget the DNA. Everybody, raise your hands and say—"

"Ohayohay, hey!"

Evie was the next to control the stage and Doug was right in the front with her. "Sound the alarm, get on your feet. Let's set it off and rock this beat. Dance till your heart is wild and free!"

This time Doug was dancing and interacting with her, the two of them rocking the stage together. "Feelin' the power, let it all out. Like what you see in the mirror—shout! We got the keys, the kingdom is ours!"

Irene had been running around to check that everything was still in order while Ben enjoyed his first night as king, Pongo happily following her around. She had an altered dress as well and her white gown now stopped at her knees with the extra length taken away. Grinning to herself, she sang along as she worked. "Let's set it off—oh yeah! Start a chain reaction, never let it stop. Let's set it off—oh yeah! You can make it happen with everything you've got—let's set it off!"

She was suddenly stopped from her work when two sets of hands gripped her upper arms and lifted her off her feet. Surprised, she looked to see Jay and Carlos share a knowing smile. To her immense delight, Carlos picked up the next verse.

"Yo! It's time to set this thing off—let's make it happen now! I'm a make my own future—Ignore all the rumors—Show 'em how passion sounds!" Her favorite boy grabbed her hand and began to lead her toward the stage where everyone else was dancing.

"They all told me I should back down—judgin' me 'cause of my background. Thinkin' 'bout changin' my path now." He gave her a cheeky wink. "Nah, I ain't goin' out like that now!"

The two were on stage and moving with the beat, completely in sync with each other and simultaneously the other students. Irene couldn't stop smiling at the De Vil, their bodies twisting with one another. It was all so incredibly fun and easy, being with him.

"Feelin' the power, let it all out!" she sang. "Like what you see in the mirror—shout!"

"We've got the keys, the kingdom's ours!" he returned.

The formation changed and they intertwined their arms, palms flat as they moved with the group in a circular rotation, Doug and Evie on her right side. "Let's set it off—oh yeah! Start a chain reaction, never let it stop. Let's set it off—oh yeah! You can make it happen with everything you've got—let's set it off!"

Her long auburn hair whipped around as she twirled, hand connecting with a familiar leather glove when she finished. They were both smiling so much their cheeks were hurting but it didn't matter. They just hopped right into the next set, moving seamlessly as they both turned, jumped, and danced together.

The song was drawing to a close and everyone turned around to the balcony where Mal and Ben were standing and gave a bow, the music winding down. Though the song was ending, the firework finale was flaring to life, lighting up the sky with every sort of color. Out of breath from all of the dancing and singing, she didn't mind it one bit as she looked up at the vibrant night sky. Giggling from the euphoria of it all, she turned to see Carlos staring up in awe and her smile only grew.

"Carlos."

Turning at the sound of his name, he was caught off guard when she softly kissed him. Not that it was too difficult given their similar heights. When she opened her eyes, she could tell he was blushing under the light of the fireworks and that only made her smile more. He beamed at her as well, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze.

They both knew they would be good together. A little quirky, a little out of place, but all together sweet. Simply two sides of the same story.

* * *

 **REVIEW! Your thoughts are much loved as always!**

 **Well here we are folks! It's the end! And I'm a little sad! (and a little teary, maybe because it's late and I'm hungry and I have to be up in 5 ½ hours?) I had a ton of fun with Irene and Carlos and I hope you did too! They were such a sweet pair to work with, the two blushing cuties! And it was extra fun to work with music/lyrics because I enjoyed the music so much I knew I didn't want to skip it, so I hope you all did too!**

 **Thank you so much for being such wonderful readers and thank you so much for your reviews—did you see we made it past 101? Because I'm all about puns and opportunities for them! lol**

 **I hope you all enjoyed!**


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